This project uses photography as an investigative medium to examine the urban design of the city of Kelowna. It largely focuses on ‘hostile architecture” (architectural features which act as barriers to using public space). The images encourage viewers to examine urban design with a sharper lens, and recognize the ways that it can act as a form of control over the public. By far the most obnoxious are anti-sleep benches which are used throughout the city to prevent or discourage people from sleeping in public. The second most prevalent design features are restrictive garbage bins used in public spaces to discourage people from depositing larger waste, but also to prevent people from easily rummaging through the trash. Other architectural elements represented in this project are barred off areas, and design elements which discourage alterative uses of space (climbing, skateboarding, or cycling for example).

Parks, public walkways, and transit infrastructure are often designed to exclude disenfranchised individuals, and in doing so create an unwelcoming environment for all citizens. The areas of Kelowna which utilise hostile architecture are also the most run down and decrepit, closer to older urban cores and shopping centres. This project aims to capture this miasma of decay which permeates the areas of Kelowna that feature hostile design. By attempting to exclude some select individuals, designers may also make cities uncomfortable for all people.