为了表彰学生公开信大赛的获奖者，我们将刊登他们的作品。这封信的作者是15岁的Violet S. Tran。
To Urban Planners and City Officials,
I never thought I would develop a vendetta against something as simple as benches, but here we are. It’s obviously not the idea of benches I have an issue with, but the hostile versions that dominate public spaces. This began, unsurprisingly, with the M.T.A.
On a snowy evening this February, my bus, scheduled to depart 10 minutes ago, was delayed. Many commuters, myself included, crowded the waiting area, stamping snow from our boots and glancing impatiently at the time. Hoping for a moment of rest, I leaned on a slanted “bench” nearby, a thin, angled metal rail. This was something new to me, and it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t designed for comfort. I perched awkwardly in the cold for a few seconds, then resigned myself to standing once more.
While this might be a minor inconvenience for me, it causes real harm for others. Metal spikes under bridges, slanted benches, segmented seating and fenced-off alcoves may seem insignificant to those with the luxury to ignore them, but they aren’t innocent stylistic choices. This is all part of a growing hostile architecture movement across the country. These designs are deliberately chosen to discourage certain people, mainly the unhoused, from occupying public spaces.
On any given night, over 770,000 Americans are homeless, and over 10 percent live in poverty. Instead of investing in housing, social services and fair wages, cities are investing in making these problems invisible, as if discomforting and excluding the poor is a solution to a national crisis. They’re closing their eyes as the house burns.
Urban design has long shaped who belongs in a city and who doesn’t. In a not-so-distant past, planners divided neighborhoods along economic and racial lines. To some this might seem absurd, but the reality is that it’s still a problem. Hostile architecture continues this tradition, using design to send the message that public spaces are only public for some.
Whether you’re a teenage skater, an elderly grandparent, or an overworked adult, communities should be designed for all. We know it’s possible because, around the world, urban planners are showing that neighborhoods can be safe, inclusive and human-centered. In Barcelona, neighborhoods have been transformed into “superblocks,” prioritizing pedestrians and community gathering. In Vienna, cities are designed with gender inclusivity in mind, ensuring they are accessible and welcoming to everyone. Even small changes in our cities can benefit millions.
This is why I’m asking you, the planners and officials with the responsibility of shaping our urban environment, to take the first steps toward equality. Replace hostile seating. Redesign public spaces with community needs in mind. And work with outreach programs and housing initiatives for lasting change. Together, public design can be part of a solution, not a cover-up.
I hope the day will come when dignity isn’t a political debate. Until then, the purpose of a bench is simple. It’s a place for someone to sit, especially when they have nowhere else to go.
Sincerely,
Violet S. Tran
Works Cited
Casey, Michael. “U.S. Homelessness Rose 18 Percent in 2024, Continuing Multi-year Upward Trend.” PBS News, 27 Dec. 2024.
Kodé, Anna. “The Slow Death of the New York City Public Bench.” The New York Times, 18 Oct. 2025.
Mueller, Natalie, et al. “Changing the Urban Design of Cities for Health: The Superblock Model.” Environment International, January 2020.
Safronova, Valeriya. “Can Urban Design Have a Gender? In This Vienna District, the Answer Is Yes.” The New York Times, 30 July 2024.
Shrider, Emily A. “Poverty in the United States: 2023.” Census Bureau, 10 Sept., 2024.
