In the article, “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment,” Schindler exhibits a broad overview of various infrastructures exemplifying ethnic and behavioral barriers in many works. She analyzes the role of architecture segregating and causing contradictions within communities. Robert Moses, New York’s most famous architect, intentionally created low hanging overpasses so that poor and people of color could not rely on public transportation. Many rich white people opposed to accommodating transportations, because of the fear that it may increase crime. This resulted in many restrictions for access to public jobs. The restrictions limited numerous people to travel and reach areas they needed to. Barriers such as walls and fences also conflicted the transportation for the poor and colored. Access to many communities was limited and developed complications for living for several individuals.
Discrimination leads to many complications for people and erroneously affected their living situations. The exclusions in the article are based on the behavior of discrimination of those who are neglected. The method of which the constructed setting associated dominates the behavior of individuals. The law has been used to create an unbalance of human interaction in which Lawrence Lessig supported. The architecture is skillfully designed to build an indistinct barrier between individuals. The architectural exclusions influence the behavior of individuals by changing their mindset of balance and equality. The law usually neglects the architectural exclusions, which empower people to create their own environmental exclusions. The law overlooks the ideas because they consider them as regulations.
Several exclusions were used as barriers to restrict public access in many areas. Many of these exclusions analyze latent problems such as; physical exclusions avert minority groups from engaging in a civil life of the community. The problems create difficulty for people to obtain wealthy jobs, destroy colored communities, affect safety and health, and may harm one’s morality. Highways and bridges were created to segregate the wealthy communities away from traffic and disruption. Public transits became barriers for people because the failure to access to the suburbs, which constrained colored people from attaining suburban jobs. Some infrastructures were built to prevent traffic and public disturbances.
Schindler provides copious examples about the effects if these complications. People who required going far distances for necessary reasons faced great predicaments. All the discriminating developments forced many low-income people to move into public and more threatening areas. Schindler presents that, “In the early 1950s, there were an estimated 140.000 black people living in Black Bottom, and while some middle-income families in the area were able to relocate to more prosperous neighborhoods, the urban renewal project forced many low-income residents into public housing”(Schindler 1967), this disrupted many lives. All the different infrastructures built had a significant meaning and effect to everyone that used them. Walking, driving, and riding were extremely difficult for many people, which also threatened their safety and ability to live. Sarah Schindler provides insight to the racial segregation in architectural infrastructures. The understanding of the problems people faced due to constructive foundations helps perceive the real ethnic issues.