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When it comes to designing things for city living, whether it’s the infrastructure or even little details—like park benches or public washrooms, you expect they will be made with people in mind. But it turns out that’s often far from the case.

Recently, Sahra Sulaiman, the communities editor for Streetsblog L.A., shared an illuminating thread about soap dispensers in LAX bathrooms. “The worker struggling to refill soaps in the LAX bathroom said she just wished architects and designers consulted with the workers that had to maintain the spaces about whether their form would actually be functional,” she wrote in a tweet amassing 126k likes.

Soon it became clear that Sahra is not the only one frustrated by how nonfunctionally public spaces are sometimes designed. More people joined the thread to share their own observations and experiences, so dear designers and architects, please take notes!

Image credits: sahrasulaiman

#1

People-Share-Architects-Designers-Biggest-Mistakes-Struggles

Priya_H Report

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Danish Dynomummy
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh yeah the neverending ponytail and bun struggle is real... my SO always tells me I look like the Bendneck Lady when I drive lol

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Urban design is concerned with the arrangement, appearance and function of our suburbs, towns and cities. It is both a process and an outcome of creating localities in which people live, engage with each other, and engage with the physical place around them in the modern world.

According to the United Nations (U.N.), 68% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050, compared with 2% at the beginning of the 19th century, 30% in 1950 and 55% in 2018. The current urbanization is represented in hard-to-believe figures. The world’s largest city, Tokyo, which had a population of roughly 37 million in 2020, is expected to be overtaken in 2028 by New Delhi, the capital of India.

#2

People-Share-Architects-Designers-Biggest-Mistakes-Struggles

thatsmyfullname Report

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Victor Trejo
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, in Japan, bathrooms have a sort of ledge where you can place your stuff while using the urinals. There are also hooks to hang your umbrella or bags.

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#3

People-Share-Architects-Designers-Biggest-Mistakes-Struggles

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Brian Bennett
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because that would be using common sense! Apparently this too is a waning commodity!

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#4

People-Share-Architects-Designers-Biggest-Mistakes-Struggles

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NsG
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There shouldn't have been a fight because it shouldn't have been an "if". The discussion should have started from "where do we put the disposal?"

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But you don’t have to look at metropolises to realize how much and how fast our environment is changing. Pick just about any city, the one that you live in right now, and it will seem both familiar and new at the same time. So today designers and urban planners face incredible challenges—to make sure the public spaces, infrastructure, and resources cater to the people who live there.

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#5

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CLG
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are indeed the worst, and seem to be popular with "sleek" contemporary designs. A huge sink with the spout reaching 1" past the edge so you have to press your hands against the side of the basin to access the water.

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#6

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WaitressTweets Report

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Chich
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My one experience with what I now take to be a purse hook was when they were installed on the face of the bar just where your knee would find them when sitting on the stool.

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There are many ways to approach urban development that promote healthy living and longevity through a variety of design practices. Areas called “Blue Zones” are one of them. Dan Buettner, the author of the concept who wrote about for National Geographic, found that these communities had lower incidents of cancer and heart disease, fewer cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a higher percentage of the population in their 90s and 100s, and were generally happier.

#8

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Ozacoter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In general things are designed with the worst way for handicap people. Urban architects and engineers should live a month in a wheelchair or with a stroller before they do things. For example the metro at my parents city is """adapted""" for us, they put a beautiful sticker and cheered of how amazing they are. The metros are taller than the platforms and it leaves a small step. Small enough that a walking person wont notice but bit enough that my disabilities scotter cannot get there...

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#9

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#10

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jamaicanjogger Report

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Danish Dynomummy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BP taught me that those gaps in the stalls i an American thing. Sooo happy we dont have those

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Kimi Tomminello
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a very American thing and I haven't yet heard a believable story as to why they are there.

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Nate Moore
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The reason for the gap, the space between door and floor, and the overall feeling of insecurity is to hurry people up. Seriously. They were literally designed and specified that way so as to not allow comfort. Because they want you in, done, and gone. Free up the stall for the next person.

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JuniorCJ82
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The fighting octopi aren't even everywhere, unfortunately.

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Harley K
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

yeah sometimes we only get one hook. then you have to balance everything you know and love on one tiny, wobbly hook

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Mike Loux
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Went to Belgium on business some years back and it blew my mind that the bathroom stalls were just...small rooms...with real doors. Novel idea, that.

christinebeard avatar
Christine Beard
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The restroom at the Library in Pacific Grove, CA, is open to the back corridor with a line of small rooms, each with a toilet and plenty of room, totally enclosed.

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Irishwoman abroad
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seems to be an American thing! We don't have them in Europe, not even in schools - everyone has the right to privacy

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Wonderful
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My middle and high school didn't have doors on the stalls they said it helped "prevent delinquent behavior". I just wanted to change a tampon without having to give a smile grimace to every girl who walked past my stall on the way to change her tampon in front of everyone. Yay Texas!

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Bryan With A Why
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Same reason the idiots designed it decades ago to open inward instead of outward. They know it's a better option, they do it for every handicapped stall. Not to mention placement of toilet paper rolls next to the toilet. I'll stop there before I even get started...

joedawson avatar
Joe Dawson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually opening inward is not only a size constraint, easier to opennin the stall so you don't block the flow of traffic in most american public restrooms. It is also a safety feature, its easier to say get in a stall and stop an attacker if you can just put feet up and hold the door closed than if you have to pull it closed thus mitigating a crime of opportunity, cause if the bad guy has a crow bar he can pry the door to open outward same as the fire department would do for a person unresposive in a stall.

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Mam cymraeg
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is so weird why would you want someone to see you peeing and goodness pooing yikes

marakitsch0 avatar
Candia Lee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you wouldn't look thru the crack at someone else, why do you think they are going to stare at you? I don't want to see you do your business, but now I know you are there thru peripheral vision.

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Dakota Dieterlen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the particularly large cracks I'll break off a piece of long tp and push it through the crack at the top and bottom, so that the tp runs the length of the crack and no one can see through.

kim_lorton avatar
Kim Lorton
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep. I don’t want to see anyone on the toilet. Make doors flush with the doorway.

gayle_bynum_cardosa avatar
GC
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We in the U.S. are used to it. Personally, if someone happens to catch a 1/8 of a second glance at the blur of my silhouette in a bathroom stall I'm not worried about it. I don't think they're too interested. Nobody cares. If they do, then have at it. I think it's called the Spotlight Effect. The idea that people are more focused on you than you think they are. What do you think they're going to see anyway? The brief flash of a knee? Don't care. I do understand though. People like privacy.

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Kathy Williamson
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's because bathrooms are damp and mold can form alongbthe surfaces that meet. Also it is cheaper to install the sections when they don't have to butt up precisely

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Hope Cows&Chickens
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The bag hanger is usually clear at the top whoch is stupid because people have had their purses swiped by someone reaching over. When your pants are down theres nothing you can do about it. One foot from the top is high enough.

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Keisha
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't understand either. I do anything I can not to use public restrooms for a ton of reasons,that being one.

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Wednesday
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mostly we don't look except when trying to find an unoccupied stall - because putting an indicator on the door lock seems to have escaped the grasp of most designers.

kelliebrown_1 avatar
Kellie Brown
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We ALL need at least one fighting octopus to hang our stuff on! (That image still makes me smile when I think about it! )

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Stephanie Raymond
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's to make it just uncomfortable enough that people won't stay for too long. Thus, cutting down on potential vandalism and loitering. They only provide enough cover so that one may keep their dignity. Then do their business and get right back out lol

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Kathy Williamson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The gaps are there to prevent moisture buildup inside the stall and to allow cleaning solvents and odors to evaporate quicker.

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John Fisher
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why? Because you'r stalls have those. Idk where you are from, but most stalls where I live (even public ones) are completly shut. Real doors and real walls between stalls at school!

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Louise Mayne McKay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At a famous, fancy building in Sydney, because the floor is so shiny, as soon as you walk into the ladies bathroom you are greeting with the mirror image (from below) of the lady in the first cubicle doing her thing. Not much left to the imagination!

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Louise Mayne McKay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At a certain famous building in Sydney, the floor is so shiny as soon as you walk in you're looking at a mirror image of the lady in the first cubicle doing her thing.

atown avatar
A Town
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The cracks are wide for the same reason the gap between the partition and the floor is sooo wide... To keep Anyone from getting COMFORTABLE! Its probly an underrated design feature really, think about how many more stalls remain available because not all people have homes with bathrooms or beds to sleep in, etc. Not to mention ppl who go in there to use drugs!

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Kim Overstreet
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They're made that way so you are uncomfortable and vacate as quickly as possible

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Alessandra Rodriguez
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes I accidentally look through the crack and see like some 40 yo girl using the bathroom on her phone and THE MOMENT I LOOK IN SHE DECIDES TO LOOK UP FROM HER PHONE. honestly tho, it’s better than when I lived in Texas, we would go to this little park thing where my dad could fish and still be able to call us over bc he caught some kind of sting ray but anyway the stalls there were outside and it would be you walk in, go to a stall, AND THE SEATS WERE METAL. But yea…. and the toilets don’t even flush.😞

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Tyler Hernadi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

at my middle school the stall doors and walls were kinda short and there was this one guy who was super tall and I'd always be so scared when I heard him enter because he could totally see over the walls

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AAPnonraeba
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Europe we have mostly ful door or tiny ankle high space under a door.

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just another teen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this was commented earlier by joe Dawson and i wanted to put it out for yall to read "Opening inward is not only a size constraint, easier to open the stall so you don't block the flow of traffic in most American public restrooms. It is also a safety feature, its easier to say get in a stall and stop an attacker if you can just put your feet up and hold the door closed than if you have to pull it closed thus mitigating a crime of opportunity, cause if the bad guy has a crowbar he can pry the door to open outward same as the fire department would do for a person unresponsive in a stall."

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GadgetGirl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So that security can spot people having a quickie or doing drugs. Or dead from doing drugs

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Jaxx Roa
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in a lot of bathroom the stall walls are cut so high I can look over and see other people thighs and asses

jss270 avatar
Joshua
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The worst is when the gap is so wide people walking by make eye contact. 😬

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just another teen
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

i dont know wether its true or not but i have heard that it is because people would pass out or become unconcious and not be known about so that if something does happen someone can help you

andy_hinds avatar
Andy Hinds
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

America. The land of the free, unless you want to have a s**t in peace.

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Gypsy Lee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are there to make you uncomfortable so you hurry back out to shop. It’s a thing.

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Isabel Care
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In USA take wide scarves and magnets with you and hope the whole stall front is ferrous metal

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Scarlett Arietti
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I believe the gaps are so people can see if a homeless person is sleeping in a stall, at least that's what I've been told

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Kisses4Katie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It’s a drug thing. Seriously. The war on drugs here is absurd

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KimB
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never look I put my arm out and brush up against the door if it's unlocked the door opens easily if it doesn't you know it's occupied if you get to the end of the row I stand and wait again not looking in the gaps when someone comes out then you go in. That simple.

irek_m_klek avatar
Osoba Prywatna
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So that it is easy to see if there is no hobo sleeping on the toilet

tinydancer_1 avatar
Tiny Dancer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's so homeless people won't sleep overnight in the Stalls or lock themselves in.

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Becky Light
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's because the company that designed the stalls has an Autocad catalog. It's that simple.

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Brittany Williams
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Asked my friend the same question while in the bathroom the other day. She googled it and apparently it's in case people have a heart attack or are doing drugs and OD in the bathroom? 😫

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Thomas E S Thomas
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The gaps are so you can see who's lurking outside. Also, there are countries that don't have enclosed toilets.

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Jose Cabanas
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Paranoid much??? Is not like everyone enjoys peeking and watching others do their thing. Trust me, nobody is watching you it is the last thing in everyone's minds =:p

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Anikulapo
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are cracks so that you feel anxious and uncomfortable. Then fewer people use the stall. Then there’s less cleaning required. Then they don’t have to spend as much money paying staff to clean. There you go.

titch_lives avatar
Trisha Sherie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why are the hooks always above the door latch? Every time I hang my bag on it, it hits the latch and the door opens. Would it be that difficult to install it on the other side?

marakitsch0 avatar
Candia Lee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not on the door, where someone can reach over. I like those horizontal TP dispensers big enuf for a bag on top.

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Mark Boelte
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Money. The stalls used in America meet building standards and are cheaper.

tenrec-12 avatar
Bookworm
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. The public library I used in college, of all places, had full stall dividers with no gaps under the walls or around the door. It was great.

marcirommal avatar
Marci Rommal
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is some kid running around my town who will, hopefully, never put his eye up to the crack to spy on a woman going potty again. He got a finger in his eye when he did it to me.

ruthf_1 avatar
Ruth F
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, this is in the US. As an immigrant, I was horrified to discover they're ALL LIKE THAT!! And short, too. I've heard of women always carrying clip-on curtains that fill that gap. I think it's a deliberate and vicious way to stop users staying inside for too long or shooting up. (The Swiss use blue lighting to prevent people finding a vein and have real doors.) When my office was being remodeled a few years back, I was disgusted that they installed the gappy doors again. These gaps are one reason Americans are so touchy about who is allowed to enter the Ladies' when their small daughters are in there. Hmmm... maybe this is a perv's design!

twobondstreet avatar
Celeste Finn
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it’s to be able to tell when somebody is passed out, inside, with the works in their arm. The design is for functional semi-privacy in public.

helentaylor avatar
Helen Taylor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey gabs which are often margarine handicap stalls. And in the handicap stalls the latch doesn’t reach the lock

goldleprikon_lmm avatar
Tara Tara Tara
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never in my life used a public restroom before maybe this is why

evancampos avatar
Evan Campos
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

why is it just the US the stalls could connect to the floor and weirdly enough schools have bigger gaps

kayleehurd2009 avatar
K
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are there so people can see if you're doing something suspicious, and the walls don't extend to the ceiling or floor so that if someone faints or the door jams, you can still get out. However it is SO annoying, once I stuck my legs out a little bit too far to the sides and the person in the stall next to me saw my shoes. Luckily it was my mother but still :0

levinessadam avatar
Adam Leviness
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't know if it's true but I heard they are their in case someone has an emergency. Such as, stroke, passes out, heart attack, or (let's face it the far more likely) overdose. Not only can people see, but someone can slide underneath and get into a locked stall. This is actually an example of a useful design that the average public doesn't consider bc it's inconvenient that serves a very important purpose.

samanthamannion avatar
Samantha Mannion
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Has anyone figured out y those gaps are there even? Like why is that even a thing I don't understand......

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Cindy Monkouski
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the crack is wide so you can hang your purse over the corner of the door that there is no hook installed on.

lauriejones avatar
laurie jones
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They say the gab in the stall doors are to make uncomfortable to stay any longer than absolutely have to. Keeps the lines moving.

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Rovea Cheong
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The gap is mainly for the door to actually be able to swing open. But the gap shouldnt be that big... With a gap that big.. well u might as well not have the door

sizakelemahlangu avatar
Sizakele Mahlangu
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The kind of mishaps only happen when architects neglect to go through time and consult all the changes they went through in the continuum to be the kind of people drawn to this profession... Moms and I believe God for instance are architects

rachelmarie avatar
Rachel Marie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have those spaces in the U.S. so if someone passes out in the stall someone can see that and call for help rather than have the passed out person just lay there and possibly die.

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Justin Schetrompf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I went thru design school. It was an amazing experience right up till the final design. Then it became a contest in obserdity. Who could fit the most functional useless ideas in a tiny space. Before ever putting pencil to paper, I'm old. We had to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. It was designed by the class before Us. Having make funky angled cuts and weird rooflines makes you think. I agree with the person who said Architecture School is full of rich white people playing with other people's money. I have a neighbor that moved in then realized there were no street lights. For once the HOA did a good thing.

esiaa avatar
Esiaa
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At this point you may as well open the door wide. Or remove it entirely.

st_lenny18 avatar
Saint Lynnie
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mostly to allow space for the door to swing open/close. People need to stop being weird and peeking at stalls

misty-pendergrast avatar
Misty Pendergrast
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's supposedly a liability issue so no one can OD on the toilet and die without someone being able to see. That's what I heard at least.

chev0005 avatar
Tai Buser
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

F*U*C*K em!! And narcan too! Let them die! If you choose to be a user then that's the gamble YOU choose! Maybe one day when enough addicts OD and die, there won't be a demand for the drugs and therefore it won't be profitable to be a supplier! Kill 2 birds with one stone! How many times does narcan save someone who will just turn around and do it again? How many success stories are there about heavy users seeing the light after OD'ing and never use again? Life sucks so I use... Well, if you can find money to buy illegal deadly drugs to feed an addiction regularly then you can afford to seek medical mental help to cope with life! It's a f*****g choice! You don't become an addict after you use the first time! You can quit before you get sucked in! Like me and a 1/2 gal of chocolate ice cream... I can stop before I eat TOO much. I may not want to. I can CHOOSE not to but it's my fault when I need to buy new pants a size up. Will I eat too much again? Maybe not...

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ramon solorio jr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Generation of entitled whiners!...who wants to be seeing you do your thang? The stupid things todays american worries about...older generations learned to be creative with these sort of "problems" or if not learn to live with it.

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Cadena Norton
Community Member
2 years ago

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I was reading a post about a girl in England who manager lifted her over the stall door to see to a man who was passed out inside. He woke suddenly and grabbed her trying to pull her down to him while the manager tried to pull her back. Basically playing tug of war with the poor girl. That's y the stalls in the us have the gap at the bottom. To access people in distress. The ones on the sides r to discourage drug use and sex

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Ace
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nonsense. All public toilet locks can easily be opened from the outside to avoid just such a scenario.

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v
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2 years ago

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How many times has everyone stopped and stared through that minuscule crack to watch you doing your thing? Since you're the one sitting there doing your thing, take the inverse of this and tell us all how much you're actually, truthfully, able to see and know about what's going on outside your stall.

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Helen Haley
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can't be a woman. Or you would know the anxiety of having to fish in a vagina in a public restroom for a tampon string that went awol.

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According to Joe Pobiner, Planning and Urban Design expert and advisor, urban design that follows the concept of Blue Zones includes: walkable environments to reduce the need for cars; increased vertical density and mixed-use diversity to encourage walking; a mix of housing options to encourage a multi-generational population; a mix of development types beyond residential and office spaces; local gathering places, parks, and plazas; locally owned farm-to-table restaurants; community gardens and rooftop gardens, and so on.

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#11

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Jess
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wasteful and disgusting. Flushing sends up particles into the air and can spread across the bathroom so you breathe in the aerosolized waste or the potentially harmful bacteria/viruses from stool, urine, vomit...

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#12

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Direrain72 Report

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Mr Neil
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bring a roll of blue painters tape and put a piece over the sensor while you clean then move it to the next toilet when you finish that one. It will keep it from flushing

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#13

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BreadMeat Report

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Steffen Rehm
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, we got a new delivery ramp years back, so we do not need to use the public entrance anymore. Turns out we use the public entrance since them anyways, because the ramp is highly unsafe and horrible to work with. The architect is still mad at us, he think, it was a great idea.

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Pobiner argues that today, walkability and access to green spaces are top selling points. “Buyers want neighborhoods that offer new architecture, land uses, and technology—areas that create 'intelligent' density conducive to walking and biking, and that are less costly and more sustainable,” he explains.

#14

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Francis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

my bf who is a chef also hates sinks that are to small for a very large pot and/or too far away from the stove so that you have to carry the big, full and therefor heavy pot to the stove. it's something he hates in his professional kitchen and in our ymall privat one LOL

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#15

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Brian Bennett
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can't hang it on the hook at the top of the door if it has one - it can be reached by a determined thief. And who wants to put it on the floor

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#16

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Pamda Panda
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had to get a glob of soap on my hands and let a little girl swipe it off because the soap dispensers were impossible for her to reach. This was at a ski resort, with ski schools and everything. Main lodge at the bottom of the mountain

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#17

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Big Blue Cat
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, place where I used to work had floor to ceiling glass walls on conference rooms. Then they had to add curtains because you know, sometimes you might be sharing something you can't announce to the whole company. Also it is a distraction when you are in a meeting in a glass cube and you see people outside the cube passing by.

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#18

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snittens Report

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Mark Vosters
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And how about designing parking lots in northern climates that snow plows can actually maneuver around

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#19

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Ogre Juan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A Brand High School (1991) Had A Chemistry Lab With An Emergency Shower But NO Floor Drain--Contaminated Water Everywhere

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#20

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Jenn C
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At my McDonald's the stall is so short they had to cut a hole in the door so it could swing past the toilet when it opened. You had to stand beside the toilet to get in or out.

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John Smith
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have repeatedly seen paper towel dispensers that you grab the towel to pull some out, but the damn thing is set so tight all you get is a very small handful of paper. Bloody useless.

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#23

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Eucritta
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And/or there's a 'vessel sink' like a honking great mixing bowl on a high counter. I've thought, I hope whoever designed this mess has to use this very bathroom when they're old and arthritic, and see how -they- like it.

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#24

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Carbonel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’ve heard about lots of school libraries that were centrally placed in their buildings …fantastic! Centrally placed in an atrium … not fantastic. (No walls = no crowd control, no noise control, no stock control…)

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#25

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Nicole A
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

At a school I taught in they put the drains in the center but sloped the floors UPWARDS towards the drains. So nothing would run in the drain unless the entire room was flooded with 1.5 inches of liquid. Our poor janitor was always fighting with the bathrooms and especially the ones for the little kids with bad aim. He'd have to hose the floor down and then sweep the pissy water towards the drains for a half hour to attempt to clean things.

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#26

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Ogre Juan
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Disney Had A Coaster W/ Animatronic Bigfoot That Is Static Now. Movement Cracked The Foundation And Can Only Be Braced. A Proper Fix Would Have To Dismantle The Entire Ride. Too Expensive They Said

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#27

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StellaLehggs
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The art department at my college was connected to the architecture building, and they were the ugliest buildings on campus. The bathrooms were small and dark, the lighting was horrible throughout, the elevator would frequently stop a few inches above the floor and was slow as hell, which meant that more often than not, you were hauling projects and art supplies up a narrow flight of stairs. 😑

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#30

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Ellie Rosser
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also dishwashers! It's bad enough having to bend down to load one (really, can't the top be higher than the bench without causing armageddon?) but when you have to twist as well to reach the place where dirty dishes are stored before going in then that's just beyond irritating. Also, if I can't walk past it when the door is open I am not happy.

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