#publicspaces — Public Fediverse posts

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.” >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-25/darwin-city-woolworths-looping-jingle-anti-social-behaviour/107073330
* "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." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/automation-and-repression-the-two-go-hand-in-hand-daron-acemoglu/107063582
#HostileArchitecture #PublicSpaces #inequality #privatisation #ShoppingCentres #dispersal #FirstNationsPeoples #biopolitics #surveillance #CCTV #PervasiveTechnologies #UAVs #NoisePollution #IndigenousPeoples #DesignApartheid #governance #CoffsHarbour

@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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaywalking
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

A New Wave of Pressure on Cyberspace and Public Spaces: Blocking Social Media Pages and Sealing Cafés

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.en-hrana.org/a-new-wave-of-pressure-on-cyberspace-and-public-spaces-blocking-social-media-pages-and-sealing-cafes/

“Open street transformations vary in duration and scale, shaping how we relate to and use a street. It shifts the way we perceive what public space in the city can be, even for a single day, and that shift feeds our collective imaginary of the city.”
#openstreets #carfree #publicspaces #road #vancouver

https://spacing.ca/vancouver/2026/07/27/open-streets-how-often/

Schaamteloze zelfpromotie.

Aanstaande donderdag 18 juni geef ik samen met @Digi_tien vanuit @publicspaces een workshop op het Nationaal Bibliotheek Congres in Utrecht:

https://www.hetnationalebibliotheekcongres.nl/sessie/f3f45018/

Ook geef ik een inleidende presentatie over digitale autonomie voor een panelsessie op dit zelfde event:

https://www.hetnationalebibliotheekcongres.nl/sessie/2d1e659a/

Helaas is het uitverkocht. Heb je al een kaartje, kom dan vooral langs!

#Bibliotheken #Bibliotheek #DigitaleAutonomie #Utrecht #NationaalBibliotheekCongres #PublicSpaces

It looks like the videos from the PublicSpaces Conference have been uploaded.

https://video.publicspaces.net/c/pubconf/videos?sort=-publishedAt

#fediverse #NextSocials #PublicSpaces

Interesting insight from Bluesky's COO.

"I think the reality is $100 million is a three-year runway."

EDIT: Now that the live stream is over, you can find the video here:

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/session/growth-and-sustainability-of-the-open-social-web

The relevant part is at 37:57.

#bluesky #NextSocials #PublicSpaces

"Fediverse has completely 'radicalized' me in four years. [...] The more I learn about the culture of the fediverse, the more empowered I feel."

@_elena

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/live/3

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/session/strength-through-diversity-1

#fediverse #NextSocials #PublicSpaces #conference

"It has become much easier to make a new social app. That also opens the possibility to make new business models possible. Subscription, affiliate etc. etc. They can be sustainable.

Ads in curated feeds are not the only way."

@seboslaw

#publicspaces #nextsocials
#pubconf2026 #eurosky

"Our business model will be maybe similar like Automattic from Wordpress. We need to be good in connecting creators and consumers and get a (tiny) piece of the revenue"

Rose Wang - COO Bluesky

#publicspaces #nextsocials
#pubconf2026

"We live in the medieval times of the net. Most of us are peasants living on the land of others who can take everything away from us in a whim"

Rose Wang - COO Bluesky

#publicspaces #nextsocials
#pubconf2026

"Incentives are completely misaligned between users and platform providers.

[Mastodon] puts communities back in control."

@mellifluousbox

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/live/7

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/session/growth-and-sustainability-of-the-open-social-web

#fediverse #SocialMedia #NextSocials #PublicSpaces #OpenSocialWeb

Happy Friday, fediverse!

Looking at https://fedidb.com/stats, seems like things have been picking up around here again, nice!

Also, some interesting talks at today's Next Socials' PublicSpaces conference around communities, moderation, libraries and digital public spaces, and the sustainability of the open social web.

https://conference.publicspaces.net/en/track/next-socials

#fediverse #NextSocials #PublicSpaces #conference

De Europese Commissie gaat een extra mastodon server opzetten voor parlementsleden en medewerkers. Het nieuwe kabinet in NL noemt Mastodon als voorbeeld van de weg voorwaarts voor digitale autonomie. @gemeenteamsterdam gaat hun Mastodon server meer inzetten.

Er is momentum!

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials #pubconf2026

“Dat WhatsApp niet voldoet aan DMA laat zien dat samen werken aan een open web mét BigTech zal heel moeilijk blijven. Ik zie meer heil in het zelf doen. Mensen kunnen overstappen; we moeten niet denken dat mensen niet kunnen verhuizen.”

@Digi_tien

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials

“Aangezien de publieke omroep zoveel unieke content heeft is het in staat een aantrekkelijke plek te maken voor iedereen.

Ik doe dus hierbij een oproep: werk met ons mee; wij hebben mooie content; jullie hebben bereik. Samen bereiken we loskomen van big tech”

Mathijn Elhorst - VPRO

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials

“Wat wij willen, willen anderen ook. Dus we willen dit samen doen. En als we dit met andere sectoren doen, dan lossen we ook het probleem op dat mensen elkaar niet kunnen vinden.

We willen werken aan één herkenbare publieke plek hiervoor.”

Mathijn Elhorst - VPRO

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials

“Wat we nodig hebben zijn "gelaagde ruimtes”:
- Open content voor iedereen
- Semi-gesloten groepen voor mensen met specifieke intresse
- Gesloten groepen voor mensen die werken aan onderzoek

Maar dat willen we niet op 3 verschillende systemen. Dat moet een consistente ervaring zijn.”

Mathijn Elhorst - VPRO

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials

“Bij de NPO zijn we goed in broadcasten, maar we willen betere worden in het gesprek. Hiervoor willen we eigen communities opzetten, maar onze doelgroep zit vooral bij BigTech.”

Mathijn Elhorst - VPRO

#publicspaces #ijzaal #nextsocials

“We bouwen ook een cultuurcoalitie met nachtclubs en cultuurinstellingen in Amsterdam. Daarnaast hebben we social.overheid.nl en social.amsterdam.nl”

@sander

#publicspaces #nextsocials #ijzaal

“Dingen die gebeurt zijn afgelopen jaar:
- @FTM_nl en @decorrespondent gaan weg bij Big Tech
- posts van @NunlRSS journalisten worden getoond in de app
- @Marloezovic is aan de slag gegaan met het opzetten van en eigen server
- oprichting incubator journalistiek en media voor publieke tech.

Dat het journaille beweegt is echt een belangrijke mitvator voor andere sectoren ook gaan bewegen.”

@sander

#publicspaces #nextsocials #ijzaal

“De vraag over publieke sociale media moet ook gaan over moderatie. Hoe gaan we moderatie inrichten? Kunnen we maatschappelijk moderatie regelen? Doen dorpen, steden dit? Hoe organiseren we dit?”

@sander

#publicspaces #nextsocials #ijzaal

Wat is social media?
Private messaging? Groupware? Community communicatie? Broadcasting of content?

#nextsocials richt zich op alle vormen; en de koppeling tussen die vormen. Ze zijn verschillend, maar ook lastig te scheiden in de praktijk

@Digi_tien

#publicspaces #nextsocials #ijzaal

We are mingling at @publicspaces ✨

Look for @tommi if you want to chat or if you have questions/ideas about DWeb Camp (actually, ¾ of the Open Social Web track speakers are here) 💕

#Amsterdam #DWeb #DWebCamp #PublicSpaces #Technology #TechnologyForDemocracy

"We are aiming to make #gptNL into a boxed application so we don't have the alignment problem. Prompt-injection is solved in kind of the same way”

Eliza Hobo - TNO - GPT-NL

#publicspaces #podium #publicAI

I will be hosting my workshop Knitting Our Internet at Hyperlink (within the @publicspaces conference) at @waag this Saturday at 14:00!

Learn more and get your ticket here. If you cannot pay for it, you are welcome to send me a private message.

#PublicSpaces #Amsterdam #workshop #ournet #KnittingOurInternet #Hyperlink #event #Internet #InternetHistory

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. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050498
https://www.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

Woher nimmt Wuppertal jedes mal dieses große Glück?

Wir schaffen es, bei wirklich wichtigen Dingen so oft, ganz tief ins Klo der Stadtgestaltung zu greifen. Neues Pflaster in Elberfeld und Barmen? Bei Wish bestellt. Die Fußgängerzonen für die kommenden Jahrzehnte fangen schon gruselig an. Das mehrfarbige Pflaster, das dort nun verlegt wird, kann eigentlich nur jemand ausgesucht haben, der Wuppertal weiter den Bach runter schicken will.

#wuppertal #gestaltung #publicspaces

Urban Geometry at Night

The brutalist architecture of Bishop Lucey Park seems to suit black and white night shots. This was only my first time trying to photograph it in such a way but I’ll try again.

#architecturalPhotography #atmosphericPhotography #bishopLuceyPark #blackAndWhite #blackAndWhitePhotography2 #brutalistArchitecture #cityParks #concreteStructures #contemporaryArchitecture #cork #fluorescentLighting #heritageSites #ireland #modernDesign #nightPhotography #nighttimeUrban #photo #photography #publicRealm #publicSpaces #streetPhotography #urbanGeometry #urbanRegeneration #urbanSpaces

Festive Commerce in Cork

Brown Thomas on Patrick Street, Cork, is all lit up again for Christmas. On Oliver Plunkett Street they’ve put up the usual decorations and they look fabulous!

#2025 #architecturalLighting #atmosphericLighting #brownThomas #christmas #christmasDecorations #christmasLights #cityCentre #commercialPhotography #communalCelebration #cork #decorativeLights #departmentStore #festiveAtmosphere #festiveDecoration #festiveLighting #festiveSeason #holidaySeason #holidayShopping #illuminatedFacades #ireland #irishCities #irishRetail #luxuryRetail #motionBlur #nightPhotography #oliverPlunkettStreet #patricksStreet #pedestrians #photo #photography #publicSpaces #retail #seasonalDecoration #shopping #shoppingStreet #sonyA7rv #storefront #streetLighting #streetPhotography #urbanChristmas #urbanRetail #windowDisplay

Urban Minimalism in "Focus"

#photography
#TTArtisan50mmTilt

#TiltShiftPhotography #UrbanSymmetry #ModernArchitecture #EscalatorArt #SelectiveFocus #CreativePhotography #UrbanMinimalism #EverydayGeometry #PathwaysOfMotion #CityInfrastructure #PublicSpaces #SymmetryInDesign #ArchitecturalPhotography #GeometryInTransit #UrbanExploration #ArtOfEverydayLife #VisualPoetry #SilentCommute #LinesAndShapes #PhotographyInspiration

#Fascist #Florida #Governor #RonDeSantis #signs #bill #banning #homeless #people from #camping in #PublicSpaces

The #legislation, which takes effect Oct. 1, requires #municipalities to #designate a specific #publicspace for #camping and #sleeping, if the #shelters are full.

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Florida #Homelessness #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #RepublicanParty #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Discrimination #Transphobia #ThePartyOfHate

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/21/florida-camping-ban-homeless-public-spaces/73048034007/

#Building and #Designing #EcoFriendly #Homes for #People With #Disabilities - EcoWatch

Concert #venues, shopping #plazas and sporting #arenas are continuously #constructing #accessibility #improvements to make #publicSpaces more #comfortable for people with disabilities. But unfortunately, there’s one place that continues to be a #challenge for people with disabilities to navigate — their own #homes.

https://www.ecowatch.com/eco-friendly-homes-for-people-with-disabilities.html

#Gemeente Amsterdam maakt zich minder #afhankelijk van #BigTech

De Gemeente #Amsterdam sluit zich aan bij het initiatief #PublicSpaces, een coalitie van onder meer publieke organisaties, erfgoed-instellingen, bibliotheken die zich willen losmaken van de technologie van grote techreuzen. Technologie moet volgens de initiatiefnemers uitgaan van publieke waarden.

#DigitaleSoevereiniteit

https://www.agconnect.nl/artikel/gemeente-amsterdam-maakt-zich-minder-afhankelijk-van-big-tech