A History of Hostility in Portland’s Architecture
In one of my graphic design classes, my professor brought up examples of harmful design – architecture, products, layouts, or specific decisions that actively harm certain groups, whether intentional or not. One of the specific examples that was brought up were architectural or functional choices that prevented homeless individuals from setting up camp or finding a safe place to sleep. These decisions ranged from subtle modifications such as armrests on a bench to prevent people from laying down, to targeted deterrents such as metal studs on concrete floors.
This got me thinking: based on this city’s history with architecture, does Portland, Oregon actually care about its homeless population? Even if they do, I don’t think many people know the extent that their decisions exacerbate the homelessness crisis facing the city. We may look at some things as simple as an armrest on a bench and take it for granted, but in the end, these things don’t solve the problem of homelessness and loitering – it’s only treating a symptom of the problem.
Hostile Architecture in Portland, Oregon
Perhaps one of the most notable examples of “hostile architecture” are TriMet’s benches, for some of their designs were subtly designed to prevent being slept on. Take, for instance, the leaning bench from 2014.* They’re not nearly as common nowadays in Portland – or at the very least on the internet, for pictures are hard to come across – but rather than providing a somewhat comfortable place to sit (however narrow it would’ve been), the leaning benches were put up instead. Most may not care for these benches, but I can imagine them being insulting to those with disabilities. There’s more to the story with these benches, including that they were supposedly primarily used for advertising space (see link above).
Given the sloped design, it’s possible that they were also designed to prevent individuals from sleeping on them. This isn’t the first time that tactics like these were used, especially outside of Portland, Oregon. Kaitlin Jock from Street Roots, a local newspaper, also reported on this issue in 2019 citing curved benches with "metal bars dividing them into sections" in Philadelphia's Love Park.** Beyond benches, they also list other examples including spikes in the ground in some cities, and loud speakers at a 7-Eleven store, the latter of which occurred in Portland, Oregon. All of these actions, from benches to spikes to speakers, don’t just affect the homeless population – they affect us. Ask yourself: would you want to sit on an uncomfortable, slanted or curved bench? Do you find spikes on the ground to be a nice touch to a building? Surely, there must be a point where these measures go too far and start to affect us, as well.
A Losing Game
Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that architecture such as curved benches are worth having because of their deterrent effect against homeless individuals from sleeping on them or camping near them, thus allowing the public to use them. There’s one problem with this: these measures get us nowhere towards solving the homelessness crisis. If anything, this only moves those experiencing homelessness somewhere else for somebody else to deal with – it’s sweeping the problem under the rug.
If hostile architecture doesn’t solve Portland’s homelessness crisis, then what will? While we certainly need to increase our shelters and shelter capacity, and reach out to those in need of shelter, it’s also important that we stop punishing our homeless population simply because they have to resort to camping. In fact, just this year, a case in Portland surrounding this issue has reached the supreme court.*** The article linked here not only talks about this case, but it also discusses other ways that cities use architecture to attack the homeless. If Portland, Oregon cares about its homeless, what have they done to show that? Can they do better? Can we do better? If we don’t, at what point will these actions, ours or the city’s, start hurting ourselves and the space we share?
*https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2014/05/joseph_rose_trimets_replaces_b.html
***https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2024/06/as-supreme-court-ponders-homelessness-case-from-oregon-hostile-design-flies-under-radar.html
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