Proposal talk:Hostile Architecture

Example

Nice proposal, but some images and details on what exactly counts as "Hostile Architecture" and what is just not thought through would be nice. Emilius123 (talk) 14:48, 8 February 2022 (UTC)

Tag Suggestions

I came across a fixme on a bench to tag with "'homeless resistant' tagging". I think this kind of architecture is often associated with benches, though it is certainly in other circumstances. I suggest something like hostile_architecture=*. As a generic hostile_architecture=yes it would refer to any sort of impediment to comfort. This could then be refined to hostile_architecture=armrest, =spikes, =skatestoppers, =fence, =slope, etc. One annoyance is that "hostile_architecture" is quite a long key name. I don't know how to shorten it, though. --pkoby (talk) 13:33, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

Proposal to change 'useless_armrest'

I propose to shorten the value useless_armrest to just armrest for the following reasons:

• The word 'useless' is superfluous, it doesn't add any information the 'hostile' part of the key doesn't already address
• It is objectively wrong since the armrest serves, by design, the purpose of supporting ones arm
• 'useless' is a subjective opinion which is unprofessional and doesn't belong in OSM
• This unprofessionalism detracts from the validity of this proposal
• Shorter values are obviously easier to type, remember etc.

--Ok5nS (talk) 16:51, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

I had suggested it be split up entirely at that time. Not only to remove the normative statement, but also to distinguish between different aspects, which can exist together (then this has to go semicolon or suffixng). There are already many alternatives.

• amenity=bench
  • hostile_architecture=useless_armrest
    • armrest=*
      • Further eg armrest=raised , armrest=lowered https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/accessibility-measure-or-exclusive-architecture/
    • seats:separated=*
  • hostile_architecture=slanted → bench=* / bench:type=*
  • hostile_architecture=airholes : Need a photo
  • hostile_architecture=too_short
    • seats=* / capacity=*
    • length=*
  • hostile_architecture=standing_bench → bench=stand_up_bench / bench=stand_up / bench:type=stand_up
• hostile_architecture=* : These are using it as both attribute and feature, which is bad data
  • hostile_architecture=spikes , hostile_architecture=spikes → area:highway=traffic_island + obstacle=* / barrier=* (+ smoothness=* ?)
  • hostile_architecture=rubble → 8 barrier=rubble
  • hostile_architecture=fence → barrier=fence : If it wants to say this, it should still be barrier=fence + hostile_architecture=yes , not duplicating *=fence ; but then it can be more specific
    • Proposal:Fence_attributes fence:function=* / *against=* (vs *:for=* ) / obstructing=*
      • *=homeless /
      • *=street_sleeper / *=rough_sleeper /
      • *=street_sleeping / *=rough_sleeping /
      • *=sleeping /
      • *=homeless /
    • 4 antihomeless=*
    • 933 sleeping=*
    • 235 sleeping_hindrance=*
    • 317 lying_down=*
  • hostile_architecture=noise → Proposal:Objects_generating_audible_cues audible=* / loudspeaker=* + 5 loudspeaker:output=music , loudspeaker:output=noise / barrier:sound=* / irritant=sound : Can be extended to animal repellents (high frequency, ultrasonic, lights)
  • hostile_architecture=skatestoppers (is this totally bad, at least on street furniture?) → obstructing=skateboard / skateboard:physical=*

Kovposch (talk) 21:41, 26 March 2026 (UTC)