As a design intern, I recall sitting through a discussion that delved into the subject of urban design and how street furniture should be engineered to be inconvenient for street dwellers. The animated discussion went to depths to describe how the homeless felt entitled to all that is public and available. I heard how design can present solutions to dissuade this menace – thoughtfully, medians and parapets should be ridged, so no one could sleep on them at night, and entrances to street level stores should be dressed with spikes to prevent the errant homeless from resting there.
To date, I haven’t seen a change in attitude and this approach has left me baffled. The homeless street dweller appears to have adequate misfortune heaped on his or her weary shoulders, for the city to spurn and deny him or her a night’s sleep and rest. I cannot begin to fathom why civic bodies should not in fact, design to accommodate the poor and homeless. Design for public spaces should demonstrate that our cities care. Urban planners and designers should be involved in creating safe and decent street furniture and shelters, making all aspects of urban planning and design safe and accessible for all people of the city, with special emphasis on making the homeless feel at home in their cities.
