Designers
Designers
Designers
Hostile Design
Provocative interventions that expose and challenge anti-homeless architecture in New York City
Key Words
Designers
Anika Morin
SUMMARY
Hostile design influences and reflects social inequality, pushing out those who don’t “fit” in and are unwelcome in public spaces. All design influences human behavior; we adapt to our existing environments. Hostile design goes overlooked by the general public, but is most impactful on those who are vulnerable. There is high personal awareness of hostile designs, but low broader discussion due to normalization and self focus.
challenge
I identified a clear gap through fieldwork and interviews: high personal awareness of hostile elements in public spaces but extremely low broader public discussion. Most people adapt to these environments without questioning them, due to normalization and self-focus. The opportunity was to create accessible, provocative interventions that make everyday New Yorkers notice, feel, and question these designs in their own neighborhoods.
Outcome
The project concluded as a public intervention: a Chalk Manifesto Against Hostile Design paired with provocative posters and on-site bench interventions. These direct actions invite anyone to write explicit instructions, trace sleeping body outlines, and label spikes as intentional violence. This directly addresses the challenges by confronting hostile design in everyday spaces. The explicit, participatory approach breaks normalization, builds empathy through visibility, and turns passive observation into active noticing. Feedback emphasized the value of being “REALLY explicit” and creating simple, replicable acts for raising awareness.
MEET THE Designers:
Anika Morin