The Ralph and Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Increasingly hostile public space design has created parks that ostracize people experiencing homelessness. Hostile design not only excludes unhoused people from public space, but makes public environments less accessible for all. Inclusive design can be used to combat defensive architecture and build parks that are more valuable and accessible public assets. In order to combat hostile design, exclusionary park planning, and discrimination in public spaces, urban planners and designers must design parks to evoke a sense of ownership and belonging for all. I argue that planners and designers can restore unhoused individuals’ spatial rights to public parks by including them in the planning and engagement process, by programming parks with their needs in mind, and by designing park facilities to support this population. I began with a review of relevant planning literature to document the existing research on unhoused people’s use of public space. My research methodology includes three case studies of parks designed with and for unhoused park users: Folkets Park in Copenhagen, Woodruff Park in Atlanta, and Lafayette Square Park in Oakland. I validated my research findings through interviews with urban designers and an advocate for the rights of unhoused people. My research findings demonstrate that urban designers, planners, policymakers, and advocates can create parks that are inclusive of unhoused people by engaging them in the participatory planning process, offering place-based outreach, programming for community cohesion, and designing parks with flexible, inviting spaces and well maintained facilities. By including people experiencing homelessness in the planning and design process, planners can make park spaces equitable for all users.