Anti-Homeless Architecture

 Hostile Architecture is not a solution. 

    I was reading a News article from KTLA discussing how business owners were taking measures into their own hands by installing planters on the sidewalk to deter homeless encampments. LA has the 2nd highest amount of people impacted by homelessness in the US, with the most recent figures estimating over 75,000 people are homeless there. While I understand that having a bunch of tents set up in front of the business isn't ideal for the business owners or customers, installing planters isn't helping, nor is it a solution. Using hostile architecture to purposefully guide behavior is familiar to urban design. This style of architecture is designed to impact people who rely more heavily on public spaces, like people affected by homelessness. Think about any time you have been at a park and saw a bench with an armrest in the middle. Think of concrete ledges that are sloped or that have metal studs to prevent people from resting there comfortably. These are some examples of hostile architecture and how the practice negatively impacts people. 

   Our current society is quite fascinating. We are simultaneously as connected as we have ever been to the happenings of the world due to the internet and social media, yet we are more disconnected from each other than ever. People coming up with ideas like hostile architecture are indicative of a lack of compassion and empathy that is extremely common throughout society in the US. We view our world now through a screen, and far too few people are engaged naturally with the people around them. They could quickly talk and get to know the people forced to camp outside their building instead of building planters to keep the people off the sidewalk. Maybe then they would understand that the people who are homeless don't want to be there but feel they have nowhere else to go. It always amazes me the lengths to which people and municipalities will go to avoid addressing the real problem. Instead of figuring out how to use taxpayer dollars to help these people get into a safe and comforting space, we focus on "How can we get these people out of my space." At the end of the day, all that is doing is kicking the can down the road. People have a right to exist; regardless of whether they are homeless or not, they need a place to live and rest. Creating architecture and designs to prevent people from comfortably resting in public spaces is cruel, and forcing homeless people to live in tents in another area of the city doesn't solve the problem. Housing First with support is the only solution that has proven to be effective. At Cherry Willow, we are working toward putting this solution into action in a way that can be scaled nationwide! 

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