Concrete spikes under a road bridge in Guangzhou city, Guangdong, China (Photograph by Imagine China)
Various anti-homeless architecture or defensive architecture have cropped up online recently. Spike-laden floors, steep benches, and rocky pavements are some of these modern-day torture devices incorporated in the streets and streetcorners of cities that have anti-homeless policies such as loitering laws and sit-lie ordinances. The trend, as many millennials and Gen Zs would put it, is unsympathetic and cruel. For sure, there are other means to keep the homeless away from loitering in public spaces including the actions of government by establishing shelters, or supporting the less fortunate via building career paths and opportunities, and even fostering a solid education and healthcare system. Luckily, anti-homeless architecture is not yet a problem in the Philippines.