Hostile Architecture (Part 2)

As much as I would like to make my second post about things that are being done to critique hostile architecture, there just isn’t much that can be done. There have been efforts. Artists put spiked benches in parks that you must pay to sit on, filmmakers make videos to increase our empathy, there are public campaigns and organizations set up to help these people. Some thoughtful citizens even have set up pillows on benches, or sawed off the arm rests in the middle of a bench.

The group Unpleasant Design had an interview with the design team of Factory Furniture, which often designs public spaces based on what their commissioner asks for. When asked about how they thought society should think of homeless people, Factory Furniture responded with “Homelessness should never be tolerated in any society and if we start designing in to accommodate homeless then we have totally failed as a society.” I find this to be very true (other than the “totally failed” part, that seems a little extreme). Even though design is an incredible tool, it cannot change some of the larger problems that create the environment design is being used to shape. For homelessness, I have no solutions, but many ideas on small ways to aid the problem here and there, and maybe that’s all we need instead of a massive societal overhaul.

What I think is the important takeaway from this is that we become aware of the decisions that design is making for us, and if we are ok with them. Many of these designs end up beneficial for some, yet harmful for others. Every object we see was made with the intent to manipulate behavior in some way, sometimes in incredibly minor ways. It is of the upmost importance that everyone is educated about how our world is made as society get more and more complex, and as businesses and cities move to our smartphones next in ways that are not even tangible.

Here is the interview I used as a source in the post:
http://unpleasant.pravi.me/interview-with-factory-furniture-design-team/#more-512