Defensive Design and the Obstruction of Public Space from the Homeless

    Who is public space for?

        
      The above video is from YouTube by Carlos Waters and Vox Media.  In it, Waters describes the urban planning concept known as "defensive design" and it's influence on New York City by analyzing objects in public space such as benches and how they are meant to deter certain groups of people from utilizing space.
      In the video, he showcases many examples of benches designed in NYC to be purposefully uncomfortable to discourage homeless from sleeping on them.  These benches are designed with hard metal arm rests or jagged edges to make resting or sleeping on them extremely uncomfortable or downright impossible.

      This brings us to the question of who belongs in public space.  The leaning bar in the subway is an example of how designing an object to limit misuse by one group of people can have spillover effects to other groups of people as well.  The leaning bars not only make naps by homeless people impossible, they make their use impossible by disabled people who don't have the ability to lean.  Even in perfectly healthy individuals who just need a rest from being on their feet all day, this makes taking a short rest impossible.  This leaning bar degrades and limits public space for all people.
      In Don Mitchell's article "The End of Public Space?", he asserts that public space is a place that encourages unmediated interaction and where the power of the state can be held at bay.  Evidenced by these benches and leaning bars, the power of the state is reflected by its ability to exclude entire groups of people from these public spaces.