GoKawiilPhotographer's bench archive reveals years-long record of hostile urban design
A photographer describes discovering, after reviewing years of personal photos, a recurring pattern of images depicting public benches with features like mid-seat armrests, segmented seating, and subtle curves designed to prevent lying down. The writer says this unconscious documentation tracked the gradual spread of so-called hostile architecture, a design trend aimed at discouraging rough sleeping or extended use of public seating that has grown more common over roughly two decades.