This bench outside the Union on Broadway Apartments is hostile design that specifically targets the unhoused population. Although the metal armrests seem to conveniently create two individual seats from the bench, they also prevent someone who may be unhoused from lying down across it and using the bench as a place to sleep. The armrest element in the middle of the bench is really what makes the design hostile. The armrests on each end may make it more difficult for someone to comfortably lay across the bench but doesn’t make it impossible. Including an additional element in the middle of the bench fully prevents anyone from comfortably laying across it. This strategy is being used to discourage the unhoused from hanging around the nice apartment building and potentially making people who live there feel unsafe.
Bench including hostile design outside of Union on Broadway Apartments.
Diagram of bench highlighting elements of hostile design.
I actually feel that the bench is placed on the top of the edge of the sidewalk in that matter to act as the object to block out people to sleep along the sides of the street. I would think that people would choose to sleep under the bottom of the bench, yet surprisingly, I have not seen people do so personally. The arms of the bench are definitely implemented as separators though.
The armrest in the middle dividing the bench is definitely the element that represents hostile design. The other armrest at the edges are helpful for older people to support themselves while seating or standing up. This bench is a clear example of hsotile design from the design to the placement. It is on top of the sidewalk making it impossibel to find shelter below or behind.
This bench definitely shows a clear example of hostile design. You are right that it is not totally impossible for someone to still lie across it but it would be very uncomfortable. I also would not have noticed the placemet of the bench with it being on the cement. this is a very smart way to prevent people from sleeping under it.
I never thought of this bench with handle can be a hostile design until this class. I thought it was made for some ‘unspoken social habits’. It makes sense why people would want to have this bench but at the same time, have features to prevent unwanted activities on there.
Hi bekahe,
This example is a classic form of hostile architecture. This example is implicit and it concerning because of how simply it masquerades as a luxury feature. I think that if you were to ask someone on the road what is wrong with this bench, they would not be able to point anything out. In this case though, it is owned by a private institution so they can choose whatever they want to be placed on the bench.
I agree that this design prevents the houseless from sleeping on the bench, but it does create a space for them to sleep under it. I also have realized that people who want to sit on the bench will probably be more comfortable sitting there with a stranger if there was that separation. So elements that make normal people feel more comfortable, can make the houseless feel unwelcome.
Metal dividers on benches are an implicit form of hostile design for sure. Armrests are helpful for elderly people to stand up and may be more comfortable for the general public, but like Willow said this makes the bench unusable for the purpose of lying down that an unhoused person could use it for.
I think that this bench style having a middle armrest to prevent lying down shows that this design has hostile design intentions. Although, rather than preventing use, I think that the space below the bench being open shows the design decision leaning more-towards discouraging rather than preventing use for shelter/sleeping.
The middle armrest is a staple representation of hostile design. The armrest can be used for other reasons but those seem to be overlooked when noticing the specific placement along a curb. However, I think that this may be a failure if the true intention was to deter homelessness. The bench can be modified to be shelter from rain and a person can possibly sleep underneath while covering the sides and top with a tarp.
I think that although this could be considered ‘hostile’ design, it also helps facilitate the use of the bench by two strangers. I think that the armrest creates a sense of a barrier between you and another person sitting on the bench. Therefore, if I was walking by the bench and saw a stranger sitting on it, I would feel much more comfortable sitting next to them due to this barrier in the middle.
It’s interesting that people put a bench in the middle of a flower bed, but it’s designed to be hostile, and it’s conceivable that homeless people don’t use this place as their bed.
This bench is a great hostile design example. It was especially smart how you referenced the current residents of the apartment building and how this hostile design was intended for them. The middle arm rest makes it clearly hostile by forming a defined space for people to sit rather than a larger space that some people could lay down on.