Hostile Architecture and Food Deserts

Hostile Architecture

• Definition: Using design elements to deter the use of public spaces; meant to prevent activities like skateboarding, littering, public urination, and trespassing.

• Historical Context:

  • Historically used to isolate private space.

  • Modern forms linked to crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED).

  • Oscar Newman's 1972 book Defensible Space is a notable articulation of CPTED.

  • Proponents argue it's a necessary crime reduction strategy.

  • Examples date back to 19th-century Europe (e.g., urine deflectors).

  • Partially rooted in racism in America.

• Affected Groups:

  • Primarily affects homeless individuals.

  • Also impacts disabled people, elderly individuals, pregnant people, and parents with young children.

  • People who engage in activities like skateboarding or inline skating.

• Social Implications:

  • Shop owners install spikes to deter homeless people, aiming to influence customer perceptions unconsciously.

  • Homelessness is sometimes dismissed, and hostile architecture is used to keep it out of sight.

  • Linked to negative mental health effects, including sleep deprivation.

  • May lead to overuse of hospital facilities for non-urgent cases.

  • Increases the risk of violence, including sexual assault, for homeless individuals.

  • Can lead to cold-related illnesses like frostbite and hypothermia by excluding people from warm areas in winter.

• Applications:

  • Spikes

  • Slopes

  • Poles

  • Boulders

  • Fences

  • Removal

  • Security cameras

  • Art

  • Sprinklers

  • Armrests

Food Deserts

• Definition: Regions with limited access to healthy, nutritious, and affordable food, often due to low income or long travel distances.

• Characteristics:

  • Healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.) are often expensive or unobtainable.

  • Leads to health disparities and high rates of chronic diseases.

• Statistics:

  • USDA criteria: at least 500 people or 33% of the population live more than 10 miles from a large grocery store.

  • USDA identified approximately 6,500 food deserts between 2000 and 2006.

  • Estimated 23.5 million people in the U.S. live in low-income areas more than 1 mile from a large grocery store.

• Affected Groups:

  • Low-income communities.

  • People with no reliable public transportation.

• History:

  • Term originated in the 1990s.

  • Describes neighborhoods with little or difficult access to nutritious foods.

• Causes:

  • Economic Barriers: Lack of affordable grocery stores with fresh produce due to limited demand and purchasing power.

  • Limited Transportation: Inadequate public transportation and lack of personal vehicles.

  • Urban Planning: Isolated neighborhoods lacking pedestrian-friendly routes to grocery stores.

  • Low Profit Margins: Grocery stores find it unprofitable to operate in low-income areas.

  • Supply Chain Issues: Difficulties in delivering healthy foods consistently due to lack of distribution infrastructure.

  • Health Inequities: Concentration in areas with higher rates of poverty, poor housing, and limited healthcare access.

  • Supermarket Redlining: Historical neglect of predominantly Black or Hispanic areas by supermarket chains, restricting access to healthy food; a form of systemic racism.

• Impact:

  • Poor Nutrition: Reliance on processed foods high in salt, sugar, carbohydrates, and trans fats due to cost and availability.

  • Chronic Diseases: Increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.

  • Mental Health: Negative effects on mental health, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.

  • Higher Food Costs: Convenience stores charge higher prices for limited healthy options.

  • Increased Healthcare Costs: Diet-related chronic illnesses contribute to higher healthcare expenses.

  • Limited Economic Development: Lack of grocery infrastructure discourages other businesses.

  • Food Insecurity: Uncertainty about access to the next meal.

  • Educational Challenges: Children struggle with concentration, energy, and academic performance.

  • Reduced Quality of Life: Cycle of poverty and poor health.

  • Car Dependency: Increased carbon emissions due to long travel distances for fresh food.

  • Urban Extension: Reflects poor urban planning.

Link Between Hostile Architecture and Food Deserts

Root Issues

• Both hostile architecture and food deserts stem from decisions made by city planners, developers, and policymakers, often with minimal input from affected communities.

• Capitalism, gentrification, racial inequality, and class discrimination influence these decisions.

• The aim is often to make neighborhoods more appealing to higher-income residents and investors, often at the cost of marginalized groups.

Affected Populations

• Low-income and immigrant neighborhoods that experience food deserts are also the areas where hostile architecture is most prevalent.

• These communities often lack political power and representation, making them more vulnerable to neglect and exclusion in public policy.

Urban Exclusion

• Hostile architecture physically removes unhoused individuals from public spaces, making them less visible.

• Food deserts operate more subtly but have similarly harmful effects; lack of access to fresh food harms health and limits the ability to thrive.

• Both exemplify "spatial injustice," where urban spaces are deliberately or neglectfully designed to deprive people of basic needs like rest, nourishment, safety, and dignity.

Curiosities

• The top 10 largest US cities all contain food deserts.

• The Camden Bench in London is considered the "ultimate hostile design" because it prevents sleeping, skateboarding, graffiti, drug deals, and even comfortable sitting. Its design is engineered for exclusion and has become a symbol of anti-homeless design globally.