Anti-houseless design an

BY DYLAN JAEKEL Feature Editor

Hostile architecture, also known as defensive architecture, is architecture used as a deterrent. Its architectural design is meant to guide the behavior of the public in private and public spaces. It is used to deter activities such as skateboarding, littering and loitering.

In particular, this type of architecture can be used to deter houseless populations from finding shelter or a place to sleep.

“By structuring our relationships, these features of the built environment control and constrain our behavior. The architected urban landscape reg- ulates, and the architecture itself is a form of regulation,” said the paper “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment” from the Yale Law Journal, published in 2015.

The growth in this type of architecture has gained traction over recent years and can be notably seen in larger cities and urbanized areas, including San Francisco; however, this type of architecture is all around us.

Spikes on the ground under an overpass, fencing under outdoor staircases and bars separating seats on a park bench are all examples of hostile architecture.

“Spikes on the ground near building alcoves or window ledges are an obvious example