Shared domesticities: Seeking privacy in a highly regulated public space

This article builds on the author’s master’s thesis in architecture ‘Shared domesticities: Social infrastructure as an auxiliary tool for mitigating discrimination based on socioeconomic status in public and semi-public space’, further investigating the impact of the lack of social infrastructure on the ability to meet fundamental human needs in public space on a case study of Prague. This is examined against the backdrop of punitive urban practices, through which neo-liberal ideologies protect their territories from economically unprofitable – thus undesirable – influences. The text underscores the discord between conceptualizations of public space usage, leading to the punishment of inherently benign activities essential to basic human needs, such as sleeping, drinking or excreting. The central focus revolves around the potential of architectural interventions to enhance the living conditions of unhoused people, offering them protection against punitive policies that disproportionately target those displaying visual signs associated with social disadvantage. Approaching this matter from an architecture and urban planning perspective, the thesis proposed the implementation of social infrastructure in the form of public kitchens and bathrooms situated within unbuilt urban spaces and existing public institutions. By leveraging these areas, the intent is to bridge the gap in services and support for vulnerable populations, offering environments that empower individuals to shield themselves from punitive measures grounded in socio-economic prejudice.