Hostile Design in the City of London

Location: We will meet outside 120 Holborn, on the corner of Holborn and Hatton Garden.

This walk is an experimental, participatory drift through the City of London. We’ll begin with a brief introduction to psychogeography and different elements of hostile architecture and their intended uses. Part scavenger hunt, part psychogeographic dérive, we’ll use BINGO cards with prompts to guide our wander through the City of London, trying to find absent benches, uncomfortable surfaces, and spaces that make us feel ‘Safe and Secure’.

The route, pace, and destination will be determined by participants. We’ll stop frequently along the way to uncover different aspects of hostile design, share reflections on how design impacts our physical and emotional states, and ponder why the City of London has so few bins and benches.

The walk will conclude with a group debrief to share thoughts, observations, and previous experiences with hostile design. The entire session will last approximately 1.5 hours.

Accessibility: The walk uses public and publicly accessible spaces and pavements in the City of London. Pavements in the City of London are largely wide and even, with step free access provided to public spaces.

Participants are kindly requested to bring a pen or pencil.

This is event is organised as part of the Antiuniversity Festival 2025.

About the organiser: Carrie Benjamin is an urban ethnographer, writer, and educator interested in the role of public spaces in shaping our feelings of belonging, security, and dis/comfort in cities.

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