In many cities today, it’s prevalent to see public benches sectioned by armrests or concrete ledges with spikes on them. They are so common that we may completely ignore them as we walk by them. However, to people experiencing homelessness, these pieces of hostile architecture can mean the difference between having a safe and comfortable place to sleep and being exposed to the elements. Here in Kamloops, this is most often seen in the form of armrests on outdoor benches. But how is an armrest hostile? Well, these benches are designed so that you can only sit on them but not lay down. Many of them will have a short back and seat so that if you were able to lay down, you would constantly be sliding off of it.
This bench, for example, is a perfect representation of this hostile architecture. The middle and side armrests are way too far apart to be used at once and only serve to deter the unhoused from lying down. As this video from Vox shows: https://youtu.be/WeyLEe1T0yo, some business owners will go as far as to place sprinklers under their awnings to keep people from sleeping there. What kind of a message is this sending to people living on the streets? Instead of the city trying to help them and fix the problem, they are trying to make it appear as if the problem doesn’t exist.
Until cities fundamentally change their approach to tackling homelessness, the unhoused will continue to feel like a nuisance and like they don’t matter. It’s our job to push them to do better.