02 Cease the Implementation of Hostile Architecture & Landscapes

Hostile architecture and landscapes are defined as design tactics that purposefully restrict specific behaviors in public spaces. The tactics can appear as design guidelines such as Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), exclusionary design elements, and acts of surveillance. Hostile architecture has historically been encouraged under the guise of safety but its implementation disproportionally excludes marginalized groups from houseless people to Black, Brown, Indigenous & Asian communities. These efforts often criminalize blackness, promote unwarranted interaction with the police, and center crime prevention over community power. 

Any tactic that categorizes people and activities as licit or illicit ultimately operates under white supremacy and oppression, and must be interrogated and dismantled. The design profession must discontinue the practice of hostile design in order to cease participating in racist, exploitative practices. We must refuse projects that require CPTED certification and challenge requests to implement hostile architecture tactics. We as designers need to engage communities directly to co-design safe and non-policing environments.