A city-wide mapping project has identified more than 1,500 architectural elements in Barcelona’s public spaces specifically designed to deter homeless people from resting or sheltering. The initiative, now in its fourth year, is organised by the Arrels Foundation and relies on public collaboration to pinpoint instances of so-called ‘hostile architecture’.
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This year, 685 volunteers scoured the streets, uncovering 290 new examples. These recent findings bring the total number of documented hostile designs to 1,536 across Barcelona and its surrounding municipalities. The project highlights a growing debate over the use of urban design to control public behaviour, a practice that critics argue criminalises poverty and exclusion.
The Architecture of Exclusion
Hostile architecture, also known as defensive design, encompasses urban planning strategies that intentionally restrict the use of public spaces. Common examples include benches with individual armrests to prevent people from lying down, studs or spikes embedded in flat surfaces, and sloped window ledges. While often integrated into the urban landscape, their primary function is to make areas uncomfortable for sleeping or loitering.
The findings come as Barcelona grapples with record levels of homelessness. Recent figures suggest more than 1,300 people are sleeping rough in the city, making the design of public spaces a critical issue for the city’s most vulnerable residents.
A City-Wide Scan
The mapping effort covered nine of Barcelona’s ten districts, including the central hubs of Ciutat Vella and Eixample, the bustling neighbourhoods of Gràcia and Sants-Montjuïc, and residential areas such as Sant Martí, Sant Andreu, and Horta-Guinardó. Volunteers also documented elements in the affluent district of Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Les Corts.
The project’s scope extended beyond the city limits into neighbouring municipalities like Badalona, Sabadell, and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, indicating a widespread use of these exclusionary designs throughout the metropolitan area.
“Perverse and Brutal Messages”
In an interview with local broadcaster betevé, Beatriz Rodríguez, director of the Arrels Foundation, condemned the practice. She argued that the design of a city sends a clear message about who is welcome.
“Uncivil behaviour is associated with a use of public space that, unfortunately, for these people is the only space they have available. These are perverse messages,” Rodríguez stated.
She explained that the most immediate consequence is displacement. “This person will have to look for a space again where they feel safe, breaking the little connection or anchorage they have in a specific place,” she said. This constant movement makes it incredibly difficult for support workers to maintain contact and provide consistent aid.
Beyond the practical challenges, Rodríguez emphasised the profound psychological impact. “A big problem we find is at the level of self-perception. When a person sees that an element has been placed in the spot where they were sleeping so they can no longer be there, the message is brutal,” she concluded.
Hidden in Plain Sight
The elements identified by the Arrels project are often subtle. They include decorative but impassable cylindrical or spherical bollards, ledges built on a steep slope, and metal grates or fences that block access to sheltered alcoves in residential buildings or public institutions. These designs, while seemingly part of the city’s normal street furniture, effectively deny rest and refuge.
As the city continues to develop, the findings from the Arrels Foundation raise important questions about inclusivity in urban planning and whether Barcelona’s public spaces are truly for everyone. While some initiatives focus on creating safer communities, as seen with concerns over security in the public spaces of Montjuïc, hostile architecture suggests a conflicting priority that actively pushes vulnerable individuals further into the margins.
