P-05-864 Ban the use of ‘Hostile Architecture’: Correspondence: Petitioner to Committee, 25.02.19
Dear members of the Committee
We write to you ahead of our petition (P-05-864) in
which we call on the National Assembly for Wales to put a
moratorium on the use of "Hostile Architecture" by organisations to
deter homeless people from seeking shelter and any other street
structures designed to impede or hide the homeless, we appreciate
your time is limited so we shall keep this brief.
Hostile architecture, exclusionary design, or defensive urban
design by which ever name you choose amount to the same thing, an
appalling attempt to “design out crime” and to hide the
homeless. These are design practices made specifically to exclude,
harm or otherwise hinder the freedom of a human being. Quite often
they aim to remove the vulnerable from a public space all together
and should have no place in a society which holds compassion as a
founding principle.
Whether through purposeful design or by retrofitting, we feel that
the aims of hostile architecture is not one conductive to
principles laid out in Edition 10 of the Planning Policy of Wales
which in sections 1.8 states that the planning system “should
not discriminate against or favour any particular group or members
of society" nor of the general policy of placemaking and it's focus
on community well-being.
It is a system of displacing what many business and local
authorities see as “surplus humanity”, hiding the
homeless from public view essentially to improve a locations
aesthetic and economic value at the expense of the well-being of
some of the most vulnerable in our communities.
Both state and non profit sector services which support the
homeless community such as the Rough Sleepers Intervention Teams
utilise knowledge of the regular sleeping spaces to monitor and
provide ongoing aid to specific homeless people and it's in many
popular spots that new homeless people are found and subsequently
provided with support sooner.
Creating hostile environments that force the homeless to find
respite elsewhere puts a direct threat to their lives, increases
crime and for the temporary homeless increases the duration of
their time on the streets. This is an act of social violence
against the homeless and puts their safety at risk.
We believe that it is to the Welsh Assembly government to implement
this moratorium on a national level and to place a strong and firm
position on the usage of such infrastructure whether at the hands
of local authorities or private organisations.
At the end of the day, no one should have to sleep on benches and
doorways, however this is the reality of many people in Wales and
we must respond in a caring manner rather than seek to hide people
or by inaction allow local authorities or businesses to do
so.
We hope you make the compassionate choice and look
forward to further progression.
Kind Regards
People Over Profit