How the Hult Center and the Surrounding Physical Environment Effect Homeless People
I believe that Eugene, and the larger state of Oregon, have a serious homelessness problem that is not being addressed. Not only is the issue not being addressed, but our politicians are implementing policies that are actively making the homelessness issue even worse. Our state has passed several measures and bills within the past few years that have both emboldened homeless people’s destructive behaviors, and have enticed them to come to our state; Measure 110 and House Bill 3115. Measure 110 was passed in 2020, and it decriminalized the possession of small amounts of all illegal drugs. House Bill 3115 was passed in 2021, and it allows homeless people to pitch their tents on public property. These policies, combined with the recent defunding and castration of our police force, has created a paradise for homeless people. These people are allowed to legally sleep on sidewalks, do drugs publicly, and leave trash everywhere, without any form of punishment. It’s no wonder we have a homeless problem. We have allowed homeless people to take over our once beautiful public spaces, transforming them into areas of filth and danger. Most homeless people suffer from a combination of substance abuse and mental health issues, which results in dangerous and destructive behaviors. I can’t count the number of times I’ve witnessed homeless people harassing strangers, seen homeless people using drugs on the street, and witnessed homeless people defecating in public. And yet we continue to defend them through our policies and actions. People like to think that we are helping homeless people through our implementation of radical liberal policies, but in reality we are only encouraging homeless people’s destructive behaviors, which not only harms taxpayers, but also harms the homeless people themselves. Until the people of Oregon recognize the problem that we have created, nothing will change.
The Hult Center for the Performing Arts is a major landmark in Eugene that hosts more than 700 events and performances every year. It is located in downtown Eugene, and its architecture references the Cascade Mountain range. Many of my fellow students believe that both the exterior and interior space of the Hult Center is designed to exclude homeless people. Although I do agree that there are several design elements that exclude homeless people, I think that some of the students blew it out of proportion and began to make connections that weren’t there. I think that due to the current politics of Oregon and the desire of politicians to allow homeless people to sleep anywhere, I believe that the Hult Center has little choice but to implement several subtle design elements that exclude homeless people. Many students claim that the bareness of the Hult Center’s courtyard and its lack of seating + shading create an exclusionary space for homeless people. I think that this is perhaps true and an intentional move, however I think it’s important to ask if the Hult Center has a responsibility to provide seating and a shaded environment outside of their center. For people visiting the Hult Center, the courtyard acts as a transitory space, and doesn’t have a responsibility to be a space for dwelling. If the Hult Center were to add seating and shading in this courtyard area, then I believe that it would immediately be taken advantage of by homeless people, who would sleep, defecate, leave trash, and do drugs there.
If I were a homeless person and saw a nice open area with seating and trees, then I would likely want to spend my time there. However, if I were to come across the current courtyard of the Hult Center, with its sea of concrete and lack of seating + shading, then I would likely move on to find another spot to sleep. However this wouldn’t be hard, since I could just turn the corner and find a bench to sleep on or an awning to camp under. However, since many homeless people just sleep on the concrete ground, then I could still sleep outside the Hult Center, however I may be bothered by security, as some of the other students mentioned.
Exterior view Hult Center
Interior view Hult Center
Exterior view Hult Center
Exterior view Hult Center
Exterior view Hult Center
The hostile design strategies surrounding the Hult Center fall into 5 different categories; benches with armrest in the middle, fenced off area, bike racks on sidewalk, uncomfortable chairs, and planters placed strategically outside business. The first category of benches with armrest in the middle has two examples;
Bench with armrest in middle
Bench with armrest in middle
The examples show how an armrest was placed intentionally in the middle of these two benches to discourage homeless people from sleeping on them. I think this is an effective strategy to keep homeless people from sleeping on these benches, and the middle armrest also serves the function of creating a barrier between two people sitting on the benches, which I think makes strangers more comfortable sitting next to each other. The next category is fenced off area, which discourages homeless people from trespassing into certain spaces and there are two examples of this surrounding the Hult Center;
Fenced off area with planters
Fenced off area outside of church
The first example shows a space in downtown Eugene that is fenced off and has planters and trees within it. I think that this example is a way to discourage homeless people from camping in this space, however people can easily step under/over the chain to access this space. The second example shows a fenced off area at a church, discouraging homeless people from sleeping on the church’s doorstep.
The next category of hostile design is bike racks placed strategically on the sidewalk to prevent homeless people from camping there;
Bike racks on sidewalk highlighted
Bike racks on sidewalk
This example shows how a combination of bike racks, planters, and trees were placed strategically to prevent homeless people from sleeping in this space. I think this was a very smart move by the city/business owner because it provides both aesthetic and functional value, while also discouraging homeless people from taking advantage of the sidewalk space.
The next example of hostile design is uncomfortable chairs at the 5th street market;
Red chairs and table
Diagram of red chair
I think claiming that these chairs are an example of hostile design is a stretch, and that the student likely couldn’t find any other example of hostile design in the area. The student claimed that “these red outdoor patio chairs are extremely small, not entirely stable, and also extremely uncomfortable to sit in”. Although this may be true, I don’t think they were designed to exclude homeless people, and instead are probably just cheaply built chairs.
The last category of hostile design that I found surrounding the Hult Center are planters strategically placed outside of a business;
Planters outside of business
Diagram of planters outside of business
I think that this example is one of the most clever and beautiful examples of hostile design, because it both adds life and nature to the exterior of the building, and also prevents homeless people from taking advantage of the business’s exterior space. Not only does it add life to the exterior of the building, it also creates a visual barrier from the outside to the inside, creating some privacy inside the business. Also, when sitting inside, you can see the plants on the exterior, instead of just looking out onto the street and probably having to see a dirty and deranged homeless person while you’re trying to enjoy a meal.
I think if you’re looking at the space surrounding the Hult Center solely through this lens of hostile design, then of course it’ll seem like the surrounding space is hostile towards homeless people. However, the hostile examples that we discussed are just a small fraction of the spaces that exist around the Hult Center, and for every example of a hostile design element there are likely 10 examples of design elements that are inclusive or neutral towards homeless people. Homeless people are resourceful, and will find opportunities to sleep wherever they go, even if it just means sleeping on the pavement. If Eugene were a truly hostile place towards homeless people, then there wouldn’t be nearly as many of them. If I were a homeless person, I think Eugene would be a pretty nice and inclusive place to live (besides dealing with all the rain).
Bibliography
No Vacancy – A study of Hostile Architecture
Sexism in Furniture Design
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/h3s23/2023/05/17/sexism-in-furniture-design/
The social stigma of a landscape design: The Hult Center of the performing arts
Disciplinary design: Hult Center for Performing Arts
Hostile Design At the Train Station
The Hidden Hostile Designs of 5th Street
Designing Out in Eugene
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/h3s23/2023/05/30/designing-out-in-eugene/comment-page-1/#comment-217
Hostile Design in Downtown Eugene
Hostile Design in Downtown Eugene
Hostile Design Furniture Targeting the Unhoused
First Christian Church
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/h3s23/2023/05/30/public-private-and-a-place-to-sleep/
