The Edge of Public Space
HOSTILE DESIGN
Why is public space that important? How should public space be? What is the importance of the parks as public space? How will change the use of public space during Covid-19? How does the concept of public space and private space change after Covid-19? Is the decision to ban the use of parks during this time good for us? What is the effect of public space on our social relations? How does it affect to socio-psychologically? How are homeless affected in this process? Is public space really “human friendly�?
In March 2020, the coronavirus was discovered to be more widespread than the public thought and actions to slow the spread of virus implemented. I was in Amsterdam and my education moved online indefinitely. This event did, however, took me thing about to be more realistic due to these circumstances. The stress of the situation also affected everyone, academics and students. Being unable to go outside or leaving somewhere sucked the motivation out of me, but I was able to push through and find my passion for life and this project. I began my research looking for definitions of my topics and skimming through internet (news, websites, Reddit etc.) to get a sense of the terms. After that I dove a little bit deeper into the topic, looking for articles on hostile design and homelessness. Also, I found that there was a clear connection between hostile design and homelessness. These designs do not only prevent them from sleeping there. In fact, it reveals more of their exclusion from society. It also affects their mental situation, especially during coronavirus crisis. I would like to talk to homeless people in the working process, but unfortunately, it is not possible under these conditions.
Hostile architecture, also known as “defensive” or “disciplinary” architecture, is a relatively recent term. Instances of “hostile design” appear across urban space, aimed at pushing particular behaviour -and, ultimately, particular people- out of public areas. The idea that design and architecture can be “hostile” has become increasingly influential in a popular discussion on the politics of pubic space (Maxwell, 2014; Morton, 2016; Quinn, 2014) Homeless people usually live in urban public space. Properly, public space does not belong to any particular social group. Homeless people, according to metropolitan imagination, are a metaphor of urban disorder. They represent the breaking of the rules of public space (Bergamaschi & Francesconi,1996). The first is the addition of spikes to a ledge or other surface to deter people from resting there, a practice which often targets the homeless. The exact line that divides hostile architecture from other forms of environmental social control is unclear, though there can be little doubt that new techniques and mechanisms of spatialised social control continue to emerge in the contested spaces of the city. Homelessness and transient lifestyles have long been signifiers of “otherness”, and those living in such ways have long histories of exclusion, stigmatisation and punitive treatment (Scott, 1998)
Petty, J. (2016). The London spikes controversy: Homelessness, urban securitisation and the question of ‘hostile architecture’. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 5(1), 67. Bergamaschi, M., & Francesconi, C. (1996). Urban homelessness: The negotiation of public spaces. Visual Studies, 11(2), 35-44.
An open theatre at Mersin seaside but the problem is all the green space around the theatre surrounding by fences. You cant sit or lay on this part of “public space�.
Public health officials are calling the “stay home” policy the sacrifice of our generation. But for the 1.8 billion people around the world living in homelessness and inadequate shelter, an appeal to “stay home” as an act of public health solidarity, is simply not possible. Throughout this global pandemic, governments are relying on access to adequate housing to slow the viral spread through self-isolating or social distancing policies. Yet, living conditions in poor or inadequate housing actually create a higher risk of infection whether from overcrowding which inhibits physical distancing or a lack of proper sanitation that makes regular hand-washing difficult (UN Habitat, 2020).
The reason why I chose this subject is that although we advocate that we are designing cities for everyone, we actually see a certain audience as a priority. The small architectural details set in the urban design process are actually intended to move a “strange� group away. Small details on the benches or installations on the near the wall. Although these are for design, we should not think in one way. These details may make life difficult for people, perhaps even in their animals. Spines and poles placed on the vents and air-conditioning systems; one makes it difficult for birds to live, and the other for the homeless. The most hostile architecture found in public spaces such as streets and city centres is used to limit loitering. In particular, city officials concerned with the image of the city do not want the infrastructure of the city to be used by homeless populations. By limiting areas that these individuals can use for shelter, storage, or personal care, city officials, businesses, and individual citizens using hostile architecture hope to dictate the movement of homeless people. One of the main arguments for using architecture to control homeless people’s use of public space is that it increases perceived safety for others. However, this notion in itself operates under discriminatory assumptions. In this study, I will try to observe how the homeless and different groups of society are affected by these designs during the COVID-19 process. In the research process, I collected examples from different parts of the world. I will give priority to the example of the Netherlands and Turkey. I will show the design in design from Mersin in Turkey and in Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
In their urban habitat, fences create borders both physical and abstract, defining boundaries between public and private, and occasionally creating strange in-between spaces. Sometimes fences make good neighbors but often, there is collateral damage. They go beyond delineating space to creating barriers. These barriers — geographic and psychogeographic — affect how we navigate through the city, understand our neighbors, and determine (and perhaps undermine) our sense of security.
A staircase covered with metal guards. (Stockholm, Sweden)
Amsterdam | The Netherlands
In 2015 31,000 people did not have a permanent place to stay, 13,000 more than in 2009 (74% increase over 6 years). Especially among young people homelessness is high. Between January 2015 and 2016 homelessness among people aged 18 through 30 increased from 8,000 to 12,400, an increase of 55% in just one year. In 2018, the number of homeless has risen to 39,300 (OECD, 2018). In fact, when we look at the homeless population in Amsterdam, poverty is not the only reason. The high level of house rents and the lack of sufficient housing also cause homelessness. In fact, according to a study by Johan Sleeger, mental illnesses are higher in homeless people in Amsterdam than New York. Interesting benches and installations that we see on the streets may cause those people to move away from society a bit little more. Even if there are supports (Dutch Welfare) to prevent homelessness in the Netherlands, it is possible to see people lying on the streets. I do not know whether this choice or necessity. When I was in Amsterdam, homeless were coming to our backyard regularly, and while there were no residents, they were lying or sitting on benches in the garden. It is desired to create a social distance with the new designs made in the COVID-19 process, but this social distance creation process increases the visibility of the divergence of different groups within the society.
A bench made of steel or metal. Formed of exposed concrete and a steel sitting part, the bench’s angular shape creates an uncomfortable base to deter rough sleepers. (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
M e r s i n | Tu r key
According to a survey made in 2019 in Turkey (as known) number of 35000 homeless. In Turkey a “hidden homelessness” concept; these people are homeless, unclear, they are clean, they can be with us in social life or in public transportation (Alaca, 2019). They have become homeless due to family problems, unemployment and lack of money, so they are obliged to the street. Until late, they spend time in the emergency rooms of the hospitals, bus stations, tea houses. Although their condition does not improve, they can become permanent residents of the street. The people we see on the streets are usually in this group. In Mersin, you are more likely to see beggars, not homeless, on the street before COVID-19. Generally, we see the homeless people come across in the city, in front of the ATM, in the hidden places of the parks. Recently, Banks (ATM area) puts poles for “security”. Designs that prevent people from sitting for a long time are noticeable in the parks, even if they do not stay for homeless people or “groups not accepted in society”. For example, making a bench in a sunny place with a material that warms up easily or placing furniture that can only be good for short sitting time in waiting areas.
A bench design made to maintain social distance in the COVID-19 process. (Mersin, Turkey). It is not even comfortable for a “normal� person to sit.
Urban spaces are where communities come together. Urban planners, architects and designers strive to generate a sense of belonging that makes people choose certain areas of a city or even a city itself. Urbanity refers to the public life that happens as a result of the exchanges and communication each space enables. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown yet again how designers are needed to reimagine emergency points. The need for emergency places is tied to many types of crisis, not just this virus or a pandemic. The solutions that can be found for the homeless in the COVID-19 process should be applied socially as well as design. For example, when we enter the market, it is normal for us to be without a mask (it does not seem dangerous), but for homeless people, nobody wants to taken there just because they are badly dressed. In this process, they started to be isolated from the psychological as well as from society. We should make designs that reduce the differences in society. Even without a pandemic, the city and state will need more permanent and supportive housing for homeless people, as well as affordable housing for people of all incomes. Evidently, we must now contend with a reality that, in societies claiming to be democratic, free, and accountable, items as accessible as a public bench are used as a tool to unseat our cities’ most vulnerable inhabitants.
Volunteers from Love Beyond Walls set up handwashing stations to help people experiencing homelessness fight back against COVID-19 in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Dani Andujo, Love Beyond Walls. (PPS, 2020)
A set of metal spikes outside a private block of residential flats in London. Photo: Dan Kitwood