In Sarah Schindler’s article on architectural exclusion, she introduces a form of exclusion that is not widely acknowledged or regulated. Schindler states that people have historically used laws and threats to bar select individuals from accessing certain areas, but over time these methods of exclusion have become outlawed. She goes on to describe another method
of exclusion by the name of architecture. An example of architectural exclusion Schindler uses is a park bench divided into seats.

 

While at face value it appears to be a functional improvement, the true purpose of this design may in fact be to prevent the homeless from sleeping on the benches. Many implementations of this form of exclusion are often overlooked as “features of a place—innocuous and normal,” and given no heed (I A). Schindler states that many architectural designs feature elements that “function to control human behavior or hinder access” (I A). There are also numerous examples of physically exclusive architecture, such as gated communities or walled off parts of town. One way roads are also frequently used to manipulate traffic patterns and channel them towards certain parts of town.

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Article source: http://www.yalelawjournal.org/article/architectural-exclusion