Photo Essay: Hostile Architecture in Center City
Sloped concrete detail outside of a 7/11 near Rittenhouse Square.
What used to be a public sitting area in Center City. Recently, previously provided benches and chairs were removed, leaving an open and empty lot.
A stone seating area on the outskirts of Cret Park. The dividers, spaces, and curvature make it difficult for individuals to lay down.
Wooden bench with purposeful spaces providing discomfort along with an unnecessary bar preventing someone from lying down. This bench is located close to Friends Select across the street from Suburban Station.
This series focuses on hostile architecture in Philadelphia, specifically in Center City. Hostile architecture is usually seen in cities and its purpose is to deter individuals experiencing homelessness by restricting areas that could possibly be a place to sleep/reside. I’ve recently seen a lot of people talking about this issue and I thought it would be interesting to walk around the city with that in mind. It’s definitely something that seemed normal to me and I had never thought too deeply about. Knowing its purpose now, I think it is a completely unreasonable “solution” as it does nothing to aid those experiencing these challenges. It ignores the problem rather than working to solve it.
Hostile architecture is used in all cities throughout the United States. The extra money put towards exacerbating peoples’ already challenging living situations could easily be put into other places that could go towards housing, job accessibility/training, etc. Twitter users have also pointed out how sometimes there will be benches painted with the pride flag, however, they are still designed in this hostile manner. Twitter user, @chadloder, captioned his photo, “when you’re inclusive but still hate the poor.” Ultimately highlighting cities’ ignorance of intersectionality and seemingly performative activism.
