Perspicuo
Veteran Member
Anti-homeless spikes are just the latest in 'defensive urban architecture'
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...ss-spikes-latest-defensive-urban-architecture
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...ss-spikes-latest-defensive-urban-architecture
Pay-per-minute benches, 'pig ears' to prevent skateboarding, devices that emit an unpleasant sound only teenagers can hear … cities have many tactics to discourage 'unwanted' behaviour
There was something heartening about the indignation expressed by Londoners this week against the “anti-homeless” spikes placed outside a luxury block of flats in Southwark. They were widely condemned as dehumanising, and compared with the strips of spikes used to deter pigeons from roosting. Yet anti-homeless spikes are nothing new. Not only are they found across the globe, from Nottingham to Tokyo, but they are just one weapon in an arsenal of “defensive architecture” strategies, employed to deter behaviour deemed unacceptable and encourage “proper” conduct. If you know where to look, you’ll discover that cities are full of subtle architectural features designed to nudge you in the right direction.