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Imagine walking through the city and being âguidedââwithout anyone holding up a sign.
Unfriendly architecture: nudging with a barbed wire aura
Unfriendly architecture (also known as âdefensive architectureâ) is design that excludes people rather than inviting them in. Not with words, but with shapes.
That's nudging â only not as a gentle nudge, but as a silent push out the door.
Typical examples you're guaranteed to have seen
Benches with armrests in the middle: sitting yes, lying down no.
Spikes on wall projections: âNo one is allowed here.â
Sloping surfaces instead of seating edges: no breaks, no lingering.
Sound/light/sprinklers in corners: âPlease move on.â
The goal is rarely âbeautifulâ â it is to control behavior: less lingering, less visibility, less âdisorder.â
Nudging: Where does the nudge end and manipulation begin?
At its core, nudging is decision architecture. You design the environment in such a way that certain behaviors become more likely.
The question is not: Is it being controlled? But rather: For whom and at what price?
Pro argument: Safety, cleanliness, order, less vandalism.
Criticism: It often affects the most vulnerableâhomeless people, young people, people without a âplace.â
Ethics check: Is a problem being solvedâor just made invisible?
Mini check: âGood nudgingâ vs. âcold nudging.â
Answer spontaneously:
Does it help me make a better decision?
Do I have a real alternative?
Is the intention transparent and fair?
If you feel ânoâ 2â3 times: It's more design than an instrument of power.
Now it's your turn đ
1) Comment with an example from your city: What was the moment when you thought, âOkay... this wasn't built by accidentâ?
2) Quick vote (just write A/B/C):
A) âTotally okayâthe city has to functionâ
B) âDependsâcontext is keyâ
C) âNot okay at all â hostile to peopleâ
3) Challenge:
On your next walk, take 3 photos of âinvisible nudgesâ (they don't have to be spikes â guidance systems, barriers, and pathways also count) and post one of them here with 2 sentences:
What should I do?
How does it feel?
If enough examples are collected here, I will turn them into a small nudging map for the next Skool post (with categories: friendly, neutral, unfriendly).
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