In the article “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination and Segregation Through Physical Design of the Built Environment” it mainly talked about the segregation and discrimination after segregation had supposedly ended. It also put a huge focus on how architect was a physical aspect in the whole relationship of what was going on. Especially since architect was being used to create more racism in the world just by the way it was structured.

Sarah Schindler argues how the way bridges, fences, walls, and so one where made separated the colored and poor people from the rich white people. Schindler argues that when they made these structures it was for a reason and not just the simple excuses of “traffic” and “minimizing crime.” Instead Schindler believes that they structured the environment the way it is to avoid conflict with the white rich people. Since of course it wouldn’t appeal to many if a lot of colored or poor people came to shop, eat. or pass time where more high classed people spend they’re time at. Of course the same still happens in today’s time, and racism hasn’t a hundred percent ended over here as well. However our way of life and architect have changed to where everyone can go to wherever they please without road blocks along the way. The way things where structured was in order to hope that new residency would be rich white people, according to Schindler. This was done of course for the purpose of one thing, increasing profit to its maximum.

An example used in Schindler’s article is about a bridge in New York by Robert Moses. According to Moses his way of keeping segregation was through low-hanging overpasses in his bridges. He was known for being the “Master Builder” of New York. So of course it’s no surprise that in order for him to triumph in life at that time was to make sure certain buses couldn’t fit under his bridges. This way the lower classed people who can’t afford they’re own cars couldn’t pass through the other side. This was of course a form of keeping the other side gated, but unnoticeable or detectable enough to be considered segregation. Although it wouldn’t have mattered as much since Judges would just overlook the whole situation since they too enjoyed being a privileged community where only rich white people lived in. Therefore they didn’t so much as look at how it affected the colored or minority of the community, as long as they benefited from the process, which indeed they did.

The Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development were also part of big decisions that dealt with segregated architect. They supported and initiated the placement of building fences and walls in order to keep crime outside of the area. The fence made it impossible for the non-gated community to get to a convenient store which took approximately two hours to get to.

There isn’t much to discuss whether the propositions that Schindler wrote about are true or not. However the thing’s they built are in fact cruel and unjust. Schindler does have backup to prove her theories are to be trusted. In my opinion there is no other logical explanation as to why her ideas from that time would be anything else but that. At that time anything happened from burning to water hosing them, structuring architect to keep them out of the way will be of no surprise whatsoever.

Bibliography

SCHINDLER, SARAH. “Architectural Exclusion: Discrimination And Segregation Through Physical Design Of The Built Environment.” Yale Law Journal 124.6 (2015): 1934-2024, read parts I and II only, pp. 1934-1972. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.