home.social

#publicspaces — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #publicspaces, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Making hostile spaces The dispersal of non consumers

    * At an intersection of numerous car parks, retail industry and an amusement industrial complex in Coffs Harbour there is a small green space with benches and birds. People and birds rest there and have their lunch.

    Some time ago the amusement & drink giant piped ongoing unpleasant, loud music over the small green island and the abundant car parks.

    The intention of the outdoor speakers distributing noise pollution is/was to engage in then 'dispersal' of ‘loitering' non customers.

    This loud and repetitive ‘music’ is also known as "aggressive" or "defensive" architecture. This design in mostly public spaces is intended as a form of 'organised abandonment' (Ruth Wilson Gilmore) of the poor and the unhoused.

    Often the exclusionary design acoustic ('steady-state spam’) is combined with other anti homeless devices (anti-homeless spikes furniture) which function to keep members of the public out of public spaces.

    With increasing inequality, that is non spending consumers, the system is increasingly employing hostile practices. Privately owned public spaces such as walkways, plazas, arcades and small parks have to ensure the safety of their customers and staff. Non-consumers have no place in this scheme.

    * "Woolworths has installed outdoor speakers at its Darwin city store to play the supermarket's 'Fresh Food People' jingle on repeat in a bid to deter loitering.” >>
    abc.net.au/news/2026-08-25/dar
    * "The NSW Police Force is currently running an Australian-first trial in Moree (an area with a high Indigenous population) using rooftop drones to "fight crime" in the area, controlled by people hundreds of kilometres away at Bankstown Airport." >>
    abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/aut
    #HostileArchitecture #PublicSpaces #inequality #privatisation #ShoppingCentres #dispersal #FirstNationsPeoples #biopolitics #surveillance #CCTV #PervasiveTechnologies #UAVs #NoisePollution #IndigenousPeoples #DesignApartheid #governance #CoffsHarbour

  2. Dear #photographers have you seen the new #UK pamphlet telling people not to take public photos? It strangely then seemingly links *all* public photography with sexualized photography and then tells you to report any photo taken of you in public to the police (because they're not busy enough?)

    Note: if you're in the UK, consider writing to someone in your area about this messaging.

    amateurphotographer.com/latest

    #streetPhotography #publicSpaces #photography #law #privacy

  3. @crazyeddie @aworkinglibrary
    It is probably about car dependency, car-centered areas. Like in the US where in many towns without a car one would struggle to do anything: getting to the grocery store, getting back from the store, reaching the other river bank as many bridges are motor vehicles only.

    People can’t live without cars in such places. Even food banks have huge lines of cars, four "lanes". Some homeless people drive cars as well. Imagine the closest grocery store being 1 hour walking distance away, and the weather may be extremely hot/cold.

    Many such areas don’t even have sidewalks or anything for walking at all. At the same time so called "jay-walking" is prohibited by law. The term "jaywalking" actually was invented by the cars lobby in the early 20th century. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalki
    Moving around by walking is extremely inconvenient, dangerous, taking ridiculous amounts of time, basically incompatible with everyday activities.

    Also the parking lots, roads, intersections take up huge chunks of the city. Consider how much longer it takes to walk somewhere compared to what it could be without all these. Urban areas could look very different if they were human-centered and Points Of Interest were packed tightly.

    And the bigger the city, the more space car infrastructure takes up. More lanes, wider intersections, parking lots can have up to many thousands spots, highways, freeways, interchanges of ridiculous sizes and shapes.

    The topic is huge, what I mentioned is just the tip. Think of what you see around every day. Also all the noise. And danger it brings to everyone, not just drivers. The number of so called "accidents", another convenient term for the horrible things that happen everyday.

    The areas which are pedestrian-friendly, bicycle friendly, have public transportation tend to have happier residents, more attraction points, more small businesses, more street life, way better air quality, less noise among other benefits.
    Also social connections and interaction happen there and not on a 4-lane highway.

    #Cars #Car #City #Urban #Streets
    #Cities #CarFree #Roads #CarDependancy #StreetLife #Safety #Bycicles #Walking #UrbanSprawl #OneMoreLane #InducedTraffic #PublicTransport #PublicTransit #Access #PublicTransportation #Accessibility #Accessible #PublicSpaces #Socialization #Capitalism #Subsidies #Lobbying #WordsMatter #History #CarsAreDangerous #FuckCars

  4. Slips, trips and fall risks from ubiquitous dogs

    In dog-friendly Australia it seems the non-native canine is the most dominant species. They are allowed to roam the (dog-free) beaches, the national parks and (pet-friendly) workplaces, flats, cafes, restaurants etc. If not straying, then they are on long or flexible, extendable leashes stretching across hallways and footpaths.

    This trip-and-fall risk is human-unfriendly. The health, safety, and well-being of the bipedal companions is not considered. Pet dogs pose hygiene issues, potential zoonoses and allergy risks. The mental well-being of bite victims and phobia affected can trigger distress.

    Foreman, A.M.; Glenn, M.K.; Meade, B.J.; Wirth, O. Dogs in the Workplace: A Review of the Benefits and Potential Challenges. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 498. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050498
    mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/5/498

    Image: Dog-friendly Coffs Central Shopping Centre, trip and fall hazard for customers

    #Dogs #hazards #pets #PublicSpaces #Workplaces #falls #Food #zoonoses #hygiene #CoffsHarbour #cafes #Bellingen #PetRelatedInjuries #hospitalisations #DogFriendly

  5. The elegance of the essential: design for inclusive public spaces
    Proportion and smoothness of form, key to a functional space that makes what is elementary a benchmark.

    👉 Discover MORE and SUBSCRIBE to our summary of news and updates through link: amusementlogic.com/company-new

    ◻️ #inclusive #design #architecture #publicspaces #urbanism #inclusif #espacespublics #urbanisme #inclusivo #diseño #arquitectura #espaciospúblicos #urbanismo #amusementlogic

  6. Car ramming attacks: Weaponized cars have a global footprint

    "It subconsciously becomes part of the repertoire of options for people to express their anger in some way and they get exposed to it through the vectors of the media and social media."

    "Redesigned urban areas could be one of the simplest ways to prevent car ramming attacks. Paille points to separating roads and footpaths as an example. "Things that make it more difficult for a vehicle to access certain spaces…I found that quite interesting in terms of thinking about public space and making sure it is usable by everyday citizens, but also can help their safety. Bollards are one option commonly used in built-up areas…”
    dw.com/en/what-is-behind-the-m
    theconversation.com/vancouver-
    >>
    #cars #vehicles #motorists #SUVAttacks #drivers #machines #ramming #VehicleRammingAttacks #violence #anger #rage #RoadRage #AffectTheory #footpaths #pedestrians #safety #CrowdManagement #bollards #crime #PublicSpaces #VehicularHomicide #VehicularManslaughter #CarRamming #WeaponizedCars #society

    Every house, footpath, public area needs serious bollards. (Bollards protecting a building from violence in Sawtell, NSW)

  7. I also found an unfortunate example of #HostileArchitecture under a bridge. Seeing this makes me wonder where our priorates should really be.

    #Stratford #StratfordUponAvon #PublicSpaces #archetecture