HOSTILE ARCHITECTURE IN SINGAPORE
Channel: A Singaporean
Date: 2020-11-30

HOSTILE ARCHITECTURE IN SINGAPORE

What is hostile architecture?

Hostile architecture is a form of construction where structures are built in a specific way to deter certain unwanted behaviours. One such example are the bollards erected along walkways to stop errant motorists, cyclists and personal mobility device (PMD) riders from moving recklessly.

This however, has had an unintended effect. Persons with disabilities such as the wheelchair-bound and visually impaired face great difficulty navigating around such obstacles.

The problem has only worsened with Covid-19, as buildings tend to have most accessible ramps and entrances closed off to facilitate contact tracing, leaving many disabled people unable to enter without assistance.

According to Building and Construction Authority (BCA) guidelines, bollards and barriers should be built at least 90cm and 120cm apart respectively. Unfortunately, such rules are not universally adhered to in Singapore. Such additional barriers may lead to those affected being unable to go outside, leading to a severe impact on their psychological wellbeing.

Public benches

Another form of hostile architecture comes in the form of dividers and bars added to public benches. 

According to the BCA, most of the structures were made in mind to serve as armrests to help those with mobility issues stand up.

Town councils and Members of Parliament (MPs) gave a conflicting account, admitting that the true purpose of such benches was to prevent rough sleeping and loitering.

The issue with such measures is that the homeless may be forced to resort to sleeping in more remote and unsafe areas, hurting the attempts of outreach volunteers to assist them.

Why is this being done?

Town councils have asserted that while they did make the decisions to implement such hostile architecture, they usually only did so due to community feedback. Oftentimes, bollards would only be set up after PMD incidents, and benches would only be modified when residents expressed discomfort seeing homeless people.

If we want to become a more inclusive and welcoming society, citizens must be willing to be more gracious and be accepting of more compromises, so as to alleviate the hardships of fellow Singaporeans. Only then will the push for such hostile architecture die down.