NYC is Building Anti-Homeless Streets…
Summary
TLDRThe video explores the concept of hostile architecture, which refers to design elements intended to deter homeless people and others from using public spaces in unintended ways. Examples include armrests on benches, uneven surfaces, and a lack of seating in public areas like parks and train stations. The narrator highlights controversial instances of hostile architecture in New York City, including subway stations and parks, and discusses the ethical implications of such designs, which prioritize orderliness over the comfort and needs of vulnerable populations.
Takeaways
- 🏙️ Hostile architecture is designed to prevent homeless people from using public spaces, often causing outrage from local communities.
- 🪑 Features like armrests in the middle of benches and uneven surfaces are implemented to make it uncomfortable to sleep or rest for long periods.
- 🧱 Examples of hostile architecture include spikes on window sills, curved benches, and large rocks under bridges in cities like London, Paris, and DC.
- 🚇 New York City subways have been redesigned to discourage homeless individuals from seeking warmth, with features like uneven benches and reduced seating.
- ❄️ The removal of subway benches during winter sparked outrage, as these spaces are often refuges for the homeless to avoid freezing temperatures.
- 🔧 Some subway stations introduced ‘leaning posts’ instead of benches, making it harder for the elderly, disabled, and pregnant individuals to rest comfortably.
- 💰 Despite high costs, new train stations like Moynihan Trail in NYC lack basic seating, encouraging people to spend money at surrounding businesses instead.
- 🚶♂️ Public parks like the Highline in NYC use uncomfortable benches and awkward designs to encourage visitors to move quickly and not linger.
- ⛓️ The design of places like Zucotti Park, site of Occupy Wall Street protests, discourages gatherings through the use of hard, cold surfaces and crowd control features.
- 🏞️ While hostile architecture may manage crowds and keep areas orderly, critics argue it reduces the quality of life for everyone, especially the homeless and vulnerable.
Q & A
What is hostile architecture, as described in the video?
-Hostile architecture refers to public installations or design features intended to deter homeless people or other unwanted behaviors, such as sleeping or loitering. These designs are often uncomfortable or inaccessible, like benches with armrests that prevent lying down, spikes on window sills, or uneven surfaces.
Why do cities implement hostile architecture?
-Cities often implement hostile architecture to maintain order in public spaces and deter homeless people from staying in specific areas. It is seen as a way to manage loitering or unauthorized use of public spaces, but it can backfire by reducing the quality of life for all citizens and targeting vulnerable populations.
What are some examples of hostile architecture mentioned in the video?
-Examples mentioned include armrests on benches to prevent lying down, spikes on window sills, curved benches in Washington D.C., uneven metal surfaces on subway grates to stop people from sleeping on them, and the removal of bench seatbacks in subway stations.
How did the public react to the removal of benches in New York City subway stations?
-The public reacted with outrage, as the removal of benches affected not just the homeless but also elderly people, pregnant women, and others who rely on seating. After backlash, the city reinstalled benches, but these still included elements of hostile architecture, such as armrests to prevent lying down.
What argument do critics of hostile architecture make?
-Critics argue that hostile architecture is cruel and unnecessary, as it targets the needy and does not solve homelessness. They believe it reduces the quality of life for everyone, including those who need public spaces for legitimate purposes, and doesn't address the root causes of homelessness.
How does hostile architecture affect the homeless in New York City during the winter?
-Hostile architecture, such as covering subway grates that provide warmth, makes it harder for homeless people to find refuge during the cold winter months. Despite the presence of shelters, many avoid them due to poor conditions and safety concerns, leaving them to seek warmth in public spaces, which are increasingly designed to deter them.
What was the controversy surrounding the new train station in New York City?
-The new Moynihan Train Hall, which cost over a billion dollars, lacks seating for the public. Critics argue that the absence of benches is a deliberate move to prevent loitering, forcing people to stand or pay to sit in lounges. This design choice has been viewed as another example of hostile architecture.
How does hostile architecture extend beyond public transportation stations in New York City?
-Hostile architecture in New York extends to parks and public spaces, such as benches designed to be uncomfortable or inaccessible, granite surfaces that become cold and hard to sit on, and awkward seating arrangements intended to control foot traffic or discourage gatherings.
What impact does hostile architecture have on public spaces like parks?
-In parks, hostile architecture creates uncomfortable seating and awkward designs that limit how long people can stay. These designs aim to keep spaces orderly and prevent large gatherings, but they also lower the overall comfort and usability of the space for all visitors.
What role did hostile architecture play during the Occupy Wall Street movement?
-During the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011, protesters camped in Zuccotti Park, which had hostile design features such as hard granite benches and ridged surfaces. Despite the uncomfortable environment, protesters stayed for over a month, highlighting how hostile architecture can deter but not completely prevent long-term occupation of public spaces.
Outlines
🛑 The Rise of Hostile Architecture
The video begins by introducing the concept of hostile architecture, which is designed to deter homeless individuals from using public spaces. Examples include armrests on benches and rocks under bridges. In various cities like London, Paris, and Washington, D.C., structures like spikes, curved benches, and metal coverings are used to prevent the homeless from staying in public areas. These designs are seen as cruel by critics, who argue they target the most vulnerable in society. The narrator highlights uncomfortable, uneven surfaces used deliberately to discourage lying down.
🚇 Subway Bench Controversy
This section focuses on New York City's controversial removal of subway benches as part of hostile architecture. At the 23rd Street and 6th Avenue subway stop, benches were removed to deter homeless individuals, sparking outrage from the public. Riders, including the elderly and pregnant, were impacted by the lack of seating. Although some benches were reinstalled, they now include armrests that prevent lying down. Critics argue that such changes harm all users and possibly violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
❄️ The Dark Side of Removing Subway Benches
The script dives deeper into the implications of removing subway benches during harsh New York winters, when homeless individuals seek warmth from subway vents. Although shelters exist, they have poor reputations and are overcrowded due to an asylum crisis. Critics argue that removing benches does not solve homelessness but simply displaces those in need. The city's attempt to quietly introduce hostile architecture is seen as an attempt to avoid further public backlash, as the video shows how developers are trying to be discreet with these measures.
🏢 The Billion-Dollar Train Station with No Seats
The video shifts to the new Moynihan Train Hall in New York City, a billion-dollar project praised for its design but criticized for lacking seating. The absence of benches is deliberate, likely aimed at encouraging people to spend money in the station's shops and eateries. The lack of seats is seen as part of a growing trend in hostile architecture, designed to prevent loitering. Security actively enforces rules, such as preventing people from sitting on the floor, further highlighting the intentional discomfort of the design.
🌳 Highline Park's Hostile Seating
The narrator examines Highline Park, a unique park built on an old railway track in New York City. While visually appealing, much of the seating is uncomfortable and impractical. Benches are narrow and angled, making them unsuitable for sitting for long periods. The park's design appears to encourage people to move rather than linger, with awkward seating and barriers guiding traffic flow. The park is highlighted as another example of hostile architecture, where aesthetics take precedence over comfort.
🏙️ Zucotti Park and Occupy Wall Street
The video concludes by examining Zucotti Park, known for being the site of the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011. The park’s design, with its cold granite benches and jagged landscape, is seen as deliberately uncomfortable, discouraging people from gathering for long periods. The park is described as an inhospitable space that made it difficult for protesters to stay. The narrator reflects on whether public spaces should be built in ways that reduce the quality of life for everyone, emphasizing the ethical concerns surrounding hostile architecture.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Hostile architecture
💡Subway benches
💡Public outrage
💡Homelessness
💡Anti-homeless measures
💡Moynihan Train Hall
💡Loitering
💡Design ethics
💡Public space
💡Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Highlights
Hostile architecture is designed to prevent homeless people from using public spaces by adding features like armrests in benches and large rocks under bridges.
These designs are often called cruel and unnecessary by homeless advocates because they target vulnerable people.
In New York City, subway grates used to provide warmth in winter, but now have uneven metal coverings to prevent people from lying on them.
Removing benches from subway platforms outraged the public, as elderly, pregnant, and disabled individuals also need places to sit.
Even when benches are returned, they include elements like armrests to prevent lying down, showcasing a continued effort to deter homeless people.
Removing the seatbacks from benches in subway stations was another method used to reduce loitering, affecting everyone’s comfort.
The new Moynihan Train Hall, costing over a billion dollars, has no public seating, forcing people to stand or pay to sit in lounges.
Many of these hostile architectural designs, like in train stations and parks, seem visually appealing but are uncomfortable to use.
Security guards in stations often enforce rules preventing people from sitting on the floor, even though there are no seats available.
Highline Park, though aesthetically pleasing, features benches and areas designed to prevent comfortable sitting or lying down.
Some hostile designs, like sharp ridges on surfaces, make it physically painful to rest in public spaces.
Hostile architecture extends beyond indoor spaces and can be seen in outdoor public parks where benches and barriers are constructed to discourage prolonged stays.
Zuccotti Park, the site of the Occupy Wall Street movement, is a prime example of hostile architecture with its uncomfortable granite surfaces and ridges.
The Occupy Wall Street protesters endured harsh conditions in the park, which was designed to deter gatherings with uncomfortable design elements.
There is a growing criticism that hostile architecture lowers the overall quality of public spaces for everyone, not just the homeless.
Transcripts
[Music]
what the heck are these things and why
are there five of them the goal was to
prevent homeless from sleeping under
this bridge instead it backlashed with
outrage from the town armrests in the
middle of benches to large rocks added
underneath Bridges homeless Advocates
call these designs hostile architecture
or anti-homeless in London and Paris you
see spikes on window sills in DC a
curved bench hostile architecture is
when cities put features in the
architecture to try to keep homeless
people away spikes that would hurt
people seems like a bad
[Music]
idea so this looks like a metal covering
for the subway vent which is underneath
it at first I thought it was a bench but
you can really only sit on this corner
of it you'll notice that the top of this
is incredibly uneven and then there's
these raised ridges which are on all
five of them and what happens if you try
to lay down on it is that even
possible oh that is like the most
uncomfortable thing I've ever
experienced this Ridge right here is
going into my spine and that's on
purpose and this is called hostile
architecture and critics of hostile
architecture say that usually these
types of installations are cruel and
unnecessary because they target the
needy and we're going to look at a whole
bunch of examples of this Subway benches
that serve no purpose a train station
designed to make you go crazy and
several parks that look nice but were
designed to be so uncomfortable that
you'll leave after 5 or 10 minutes and
they're all here in New York now hostile
or defensive architecture consists of
public installations like this which are
designed to do one thing while
preventing another thing this right here
is a normal uncovered Subway grate and
in the winter time when it's cold out
some someone with nowhere to go might
want to use an area like this to help
keep warm because warm air comes out of
here and right now New York City is
experiencing record homelessness and
lately both private developers and the
city have been building all sorts of
things like this but they've got to be
really sneaky about it because when I
found out what these were it made me
pretty uncomfortable to realize that
they were specifically designed to stop
people who have nothing from staying
warm in the wintertime is that okay and
sometimes when cities build stuff like
this people find out and get really
upset and that's what happened to years
ago when the city started introducing
hostile architecture to the subway
[Music]
system this is the 23rd Street and 6th
Avenue subway stop and it looks like a
normal subway station but it was the
site of heated controversy when the City
subway the MTA introduced hostile
architecture to this station a couple
years ago Riders noticed that the
benches in this very same platform were
suddenly removed and as you can imagine
people were not happy about that not
only because of how cruel it might seem
towards certain individuals but also
because the elderly people who are
pregnant there's other people that need
benches in the subway too and this was a
quality of life hit for everybody on
this platform and the benches were
originally along this wall and look at
what the replacement is is this even a
replacement I mean you can lean on it I
guess this is better than leaning
yourself against the wall which might be
dirty it has spots for four leaners now
there are two benches in this platform
which were put back after the city
realized that their decision had
outraged people but even these have
elements of hostile architecture in them
look at these armrests all you can do is
sit here you can't lay down this is only
like 2 ft wide its only purpose is for
sitting it is hostile to any other
intended use look you can't even be that
wide in here some people even suggested
the city had violated the Americans with
Disabilities Act by removing the benches
and this isn't the first time the city
had done something like this check this
out a year earlier the city had removed
all of the seatbacks from the benches on
a subway station just a couple blocks
south of this one the city claims that
once they did that they saw a reduction
in the number of people loitering on the
platform along with an increase in the
number of passengers who were on the
platform waiting for trains but by
removing the seatbacks from the benches
that were already there they essentially
did exactly what this is by creating
something that's less functional and
lowers everyone's uh quality of use when
they're in the subway and I'm noticing
that this is a trend because look at all
the people standing with nowhere to sit
you see these concrete patches right
here there was something here it was
probably a bench it looks to be about
that wide there's one other over here by
the door and there are no benches
anywhere else just one more spot to lean
right over there and before we look at
how the city is using these same type of
designs at a brand new train station and
a bunch of public parks it's important
to understand that this is exposing the
dark side of this type architecture
because there might be benefits as far
as the orderliness of the subway system
is concerned but New York City gets
pretty cold in the winter time and the
subway is a place where needy New
Yorkers go when they have nowhere else
to go so that they don't freeze and yes
the city has shelters but they have a
rather poor reputation and because of
New York's Asylum crisis the shelter
system's already maxed out and since the
shelters are perceived as being
dangerous it makes tons of sense that
people would rather take their chances
in a place like this and removing Subway
benches doesn't do anything to make
people less homeless they're still
homeless even if you remove the benches
and they still got nowhere to go and
most critics of these types of policies
they want a clean Subway too but they
don't really think it's fair to take
from people who already have so little
and the city's subsequent removal of
benches here and reinstallation of
different benches that basically let the
city know that if they're going to do
stuff like this they've got to be
sneakier about it and they have been as
we're about to see
[Music]
isn't that wild this is a pretty
impressive train station but there are
some serious problems with it that we'll
get into but first it's important to
understand that many aspects of this
design and other hostile designs are
nice nice to look at not necessarily
nice to use but this is called the moan
Trail and it is the newest train station
in New York City building it cost over a
billion dollars and it was completed
just a couple of years ago it also has
this gorgeous glass ceiling which is a
throwback to Penn Station's original
design Pen Station is where Madison
Square Garden is that's directly across
the street and this is what that used to
look like and as far as train stations
go this is pretty nice look there's a
full Walgreens in here there's an eery
with a bunch of restaurants the
ticketing areas everything here is
gorgeous but there's one glaring flaw
and no it's not that fixing the
expensive glass roof is something that
takes a while and it's hard to do look
at the size of that cherry picker they
got right there do you see the problem
there's no seats and that's why every
single person in this billion dooll
terminal is standing and it's a train
station the only thing there is to do
here is wait for things to happen not a
seat in the whole place do you think
they should put some benches in here so
people have a place to sit that's a
great idea it is right that is a great
idea did you know they spent over a
billion dollars making this and they
didn't put benches not a single bench I
mean they have those lounges over there
but that's for people that have tickets
yeah you got to pay like Spirit Airlines
oh you want to see you got to pay now
having no benches could be a ploy from
these corporations to get you to go
inside and spend money and it seems to
be working there's a lot of people over
here but the lack of seating is a
deliberately hostile Choice people just
plop their stuff down on the floor and
if you're wondering why nobody's trying
to sit on the floor that's because
Security will find you and make you
stand up and to be fair this old image
of Penn Station look I see some seats
down here at the bottom so maybe there
were more seats there then there are
here in its reimagination but you know
the old station is mostly open space and
what that could mean is that space is a
great Spartan design for a public train
station in New York City and you know
the way to answer that is to go across
the street to the ugliest building in
town which is also a train
[Music]
station look at that it's the same deal
one hour limit and you got to have a
ticket to get into the waiting area and
everyone else in this beautiful piece of
New York City architecture is standing
or walking I love the 1970s aluminum
ceiling the floor reminds me of my
elementary school and look at this these
are those crazy old school drop tile
ceilings now this certainly isn't modern
new or Fancy by any stretch of the
imagination but it's eerily similar to
what's across the street because all
this open space with no seats that's
hostile architecture at least the new
monitors are bright but this is another
design where absolutely nothing about it
is meant to be comfortable luckily there
are seats inside some of the little
restaurants over here which she'll be
paying for and look at this the wall is
even roped off for some reason maybe
it's because they've got this fancy tile
and this artwork on it and they don't
want people who have nowhere to sit
leaning on it but back in 2020 loitering
in this station and in Grand Central
caused economic issues for small
businesses that are here paying rent and
in addition to building things in a way
that is not conducive to comfort in any
manner the city stepped up security but
unfortunately this is a 24-hour facility
and those most negatively impacted by
hostile architect ual design and
policing were those who needed a place
when it was cold out but New York
doesn't just limit hostile architecture
to the inside of buildings now it's on
the outside as well and no I'm not
talking about how they roped off all the
steps at the post office so no one can
sit here back in the day you could climb
the steps there are doors over here but
now look they got it all roped off it's
just here looking pretty very pretty I'm
not talking about this I'm talking about
something way worse
this isn't really comfortable I can't
believe whoever designed this calls this
a bench and got away with it it's
actually like a barrier if you think
about it this is the Highline Park and
it's actually a park built upon an old
rail raay track which means many parts
of it are skinny and narrow but it's
also very long it goes like 15 blocks
there be some of the old train tracks
right there underneath us and I'm
guessing that these barrier benches
serve to move the flow of traffic down
the park and I guess they don't want big
groups inside these little triangle
areas oh look another awkward place to
sit I feel like I'm a little close to
the traffic here and this is what
happens if you try to lay down on it
look my shoulders and arms are falling
off the side what a bizarre way to
construct something there's no way
you're going to sit on a bench like this
for very long maybe just long enough to
eat a sweet green salad and look at this
geometric nightmare right here I bet
people were getting hurt on this thing
that's why they had to rope it off you
can see that these two benches are
basically here to tell this traffic to
go this way and to have this traffic
come this way only someone with a
college degree could come up with this I
know because I have a degree now in
spite of how this entire section of the
park is textbook hostile architecture
that changes in this area that opens up
because over here we've got what seems
to be an actual seat this is definitely
better than the awkward bench and I'm
pretty sure the designers of this park
envisioned it as an Urban Pathway that
leads north to south along Manhattan's
west side with some areas being akin to
a nature walk and others doubling as
observation points Isn't that cool you
can look down here see the the street
take in the views it's definitely a
beautiful Park if you're ever around
here you should come out here and walk
on it and sit on it and from time to
time they will put in very bizarre art
installations like this pink tree which
probably symbolizes something also of
note this is a primate Park and it does
close at a certain point so it's not
like Central Park where you should
expect to be able to go in and leave at
any point you want check out these
hostile bleachers maybe it's modern
maybe it's futuristic but um it's not
exactly comfortable and there's about as
much leg room here as Spirit Airlines
will give you I don't think you could
stay here for a very long period of time
and maybe that's the point but what if a
group of people went to a place that was
filled with hostile architecture here in
New York and tried to stay there what
would happen that's what we're going to
go find
out welcome to zcat park the most
hostile piece of architect we're going
to see today so today I'm doing hostile
architecture like this right and I think
this is the most cruel Park in New York
because this Granite gets so cold just
sitting on it made me freeze my butt off
and look at how high The Ridges are
sticking up out of this thing these
Granite tables are equally cruel and
unforgiving and look at all these
nightmarish angles with like the way
that this plant is the whole thing is
like designed for crowd control but back
in 2011 this park was the site of the
Occupy Wall Street movement where
protesters camped out in this park for
about a month see this image right here
with that red bar behind that guy that
was taken right over here and whether
you agree with their message or not it
took a lot of determination to stay in
this place for more than 15 minutes I
mean it is just a Barren landscape and
yes there are trees but look at their
position they're only designed to
eliminate crowds of people between these
benches these trees and these weird
plant box boxes right here it's tough to
have like a mass Gathering and look at
this little Ridge that just kind of
winds along here and goes up into the
stairs the whole thing is just whoever
built it wanted it to be here and they
wanted it to be looked at and that's
about it also the protesters weren't
here during the summer either they were
here from mid October until about the
end of November it gets cold at night
here in New York now yes the occupied
Wall Street movement did have
significant support there were a lot of
people who donated and helped the people
that were here stay here as long as they
could with things like sleeping bags and
food there was even a library and there
was Wi-Fi here in the park I'm sure
there were bathrooms too because I don't
see any now since 2011 the same type of
mass takeover of this park hasn't
happened before and I guess these awful
benches I guess they do uh deter but is
that really how we want to build things
should we build things in New York in a
way that maybe doesn't lower everyone's
standard of living all at the exact same
time let me know what you think thanks
for watching I'll see you in the next
one
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