Negative Appropriation Who really owns space? It has existed since the dawn of time, long before any of we humans appeared upon the scene. As a species we were nomadic, only developing permanent settlements with the invention of agriculture in the Neolithic Age, laying claim to lands once roamed freely by the entirety of nature. A movement of ‘Designing out crime’ (Grindon, G. 2015) has become an epidemic within our cities. Instead of putting money into helping people ‘stay off the streets’, private as well as governmental investors have put money into the design of temporary linger space with the aim of making a space seem public and welcome, but subtly rejecting visitors wanting to prolong the experience. They are places to move through, being antisocial in their nature, with the aim to stop people gathering at a space.
Figure 12 Anti user seating, oxford,
42
