Unpleasant Design & Hostile Urban Architecture – 99% Invisible

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by

Trent
in

Unpleasant Design & Hostile Urban Architecture – 99% Invisible

Benches in parks, train stations, bus shelters and other public places are meant to offer seating, but only for a limited duration. Many elements of such seats are subtly or overtly restrictive. Arm rests, for instance, indeed provide spaces to rest arms,

via 99% Invisible: http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/unpleasant-design-hostile-urban-architecture/

Unpleasant designs take many shapes, but they share a common goal of exerting some kind of social control in public or in publicly-accessible private spaces. They are intended to target, frustrate and deter people, particularly those who fall within unwanted demographics.