Hostile Architecture Act

Cory Booker

Preamble

Hostile architecture, also known as anti-homeless architecture or defensive architecture, is defined as “an urban-design strategy that uses elements of the built environment to purposefully guide or restrict behavior. It targets people who use or rely on public space more than others, such as youth, poor people, and homeless people, by restricting the physical behaviors they can engage in.” This can look like many different styles, such as concrete spikes under bridges, or simple arm rests in the middle of a bench to prevent someone from sleeping there.

Body

Section 1

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in January of 2020 there were 580,466 people experiencing homelessness in America. The majority of this number are individuals, and it is disproportionally marginalized by several factors, from race to sexuality. Income inequality, food insecurity, and lack of access to healthcare are huge factors that can lead to homelessness. There is also a large amount of LGBT youth facing homelessness due to being kicked out by unsupportive family. Veterans also make up a large portion of homeless people, due to their service for our country.

Homeless people are not the only population that utilizes public architecture, however. Young people in urban area spend a lot of time in public places, whether socializing with friends or spending time alone.

Section 2

Homeless people, people that are veterans or are socially disadvantaged at some form, deserve a better treatment. Architecture designed to purposefully keep people in need away is inhumane and costly, and that money could be much better spent on a donation to a homeless shelter or for financial aid to the homeless people the architecture is designed to keep away. When you design and build a structure that is anti-homeless, it is dehumanizing and shows a lack of value or empathy for the homeless or youth population. It shows they are a nuisance instead of a human being.

Also, it is important for today’s youth to be able to play outside, and in an era of technology where children are addicted to their phones, iPads, and computers, it is necessary to provide a comfortable public space for them to play in.

The Hostile Architecture Act would ban this style of architecture in public places by becoming a regulation that must be passed before a public building or structure can be constructed.

Enactment Clause

The Hostile Architecture Act will go into effect January 1^st of 2021 to ensure for enough time for revision.

Conclusion

Anti-homeless architecture is inhumane and unproductive and should not be allowed in public spaces. This bill will ban this style of architecture and create a safer and more comfortable environment for America’s general public.