35 Heartbreaking And Annoying Examples Of "Hostile Designs" Against Humanity

Some public spaces look harmless at first glance, until you notice the little details meant to keep certain people from staying too long. Benches get armrests in awkward places, ledges get spikes, and seating gets shaped in ways that make comfort feel accidental.

This gallery pulls together examples of hostile design, also called defensive design, and the message behind it is hard to miss. The images show how cities and businesses sometimes prioritize control over comfort, especially when the goal is to discourage homeless people, skateboarders, or anyone else seen as a nuisance.

Once you start spotting these choices, it gets hard to unsee them. Read on.

1. Lack of compassion isn't the answer

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2. Uncomfortable people will not linger and talk with their friends

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3. The irony

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That message gets clearer with every example.

4. Bravery at its peak

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5. Why they took away the benches...

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6. Nobody can even sit here. Ugly overkill

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7. Why build it if you want no one to sit on it?

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8. Installation of large rocks

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9. Is this a challenge?

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10. Isn't this supposed to be a rail?

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11. Does this remind you of a jar opener or what?

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12. This makes it impossible to just walk

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13. These designs are also really awful for the elderly and disabled

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14. You pay, you get a pass

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15. Then why make the bench that way?

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16. That is just too hostile

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Some of these choices feel almost absurd until you realize they were made on purpose.

This is similar to the hoarding housemate conflict, where living comfort clashes with “artistic expression”.

17. Guess they're trying to stop something

DominicJCunneen

18. Does this really look better than barbed wire?

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19. Why would anyone do this?

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20. Come see this leaning bus stop bench

Tonyatwork

21. There's still lots of room

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22. Looks like she could give Bruce Banner a run for his money

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23. Hideous indeed

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24. This is just hideous

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25. A cat would sleep on it

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26. Spikes are tough to see in this one... zoom in

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27. Which is more hostile here, the clown or the multinational corporation?

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28. Check out these huge bricks

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29. I guess sitting on a semi-temporary barrier along a roadside is not very safe

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30. These are clearly to help get up from a particularly low bench

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31. It looks too narrow to lay down on anyway

emsbrd

32. You sit in the bottom of a curve, and it deters a stranger from sitting right next to you

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35. Hmm

Axolotl_pragmat

These design elements are intended to harm, restrict, or exclude people from exercising their freedom. Whether they target homeless individuals, skateboarders, or loitering teenagers, they all have the same purpose: to exclude a particular segment of the community from a public area.

What are your thoughts on these hostile designs? Drop your thoughts below and share this post as well.

After these “hostile designs,” you’ll want a break, like the glitch photos that force a brain restart.