Hostile architecture

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Hostile architecture, is an urban design strategy that uses elements of the built environment to purposefully guide behavior and exclude the public from public space access. Hostile architecture is "hostile" because it covertly (and sometimes overtly) keeps people away. Hostile architecture stems from urban planning decisions that aim to fight perceived social disorder and often targets people who use or rely on public space more than others, such as youth, poor people, and homeless people, by restricting the physical behaviours they can engage in. The term hostile architecture is often associated with items like "anti-homeless spikes" – studs embedded in flat surfaces to make sleeping on them uncomfortable and impractical. This form of architecture is most commonly found in densely populated and urban areas. Other measures include sloped window sills to stop people sitting or resting, bumps on buildings, planters and boulders on sidewalks to deter tents, benches with armrests positioned...

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