On October 23rd, 2024, the General Manager of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation issued an eviction notice to the unhoused residents staying in the temporary daytime shelter area at CRAB Park. The remaining concrete blocks, fences, and gates were left on-site.
The project is addressing a critical challenge in landscape architecture: hostile architecture – designs that subtly or overtly discourage specific uses, often targeting marginalized groups. It explores two key questions: What is hostile? and what is the role of landscape architects in an era of constant displacement and systemic neglect of marginalized communities? By reframing the role of landscape architects as facilitators of inclusivity, this project proposes a two-phase approach—Acknowledgement and Design Process Reform—to transform hostility into community-centred spaces, particularly in Vancouver’s CRAB Park, where homelessness and urban tensions are most visible.
Our project demonstrates that hostility is not an inherent feature of design but a result of choices that can be re-imagined. By acknowledging existing barriers and reforming the design process, we can create spaces that not only welcome but also empower. We are not debating or opposing the current encampment regulations imposed on CRAB Park; rather, we are envisioning how design can be more inclusive and responsive to the needs of the unhoused.
Let’s move beyond hostility and design for equity, inclusion, and community caring!