Design is all about striking a balance between practicality and aesthetics. That sentiment is even more true for public spaces: functionality might trump the visuals of a space. Sadly, not every designer sticks to these core principles, hence why we sometimes get questionable but hilarious fails.
This time, we’ve put together a list of the most disappointing design decisions in public places that might have many of you asking: “Who came up with this?” Bathrooms with no doors, non-functioning recycling trashcans, seats with a blocked view, and other absurd fails await you down below!
#1 Those Are Stairs
#2 Every Waste Can In This Entire Major City’s Hospital Is A Lie
#3 If Only There Was A Way To Number Apartments So You Can Tell What Floor They Are On
Access to public spaces for people differs around the world.According to the UN, Europe boasts the biggest share of the population (70.73%) that has access to open public places. Oceania comes in second place with 68.79% of people having convenient access to shared spaces.
North America is doing pretty well: they’re above the world average of 44.21% with 56.84% of spaces being conveniently available to the public. Developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Africa, and Asia have it slightly worse, placing below the world’s average.
#4 Braille Script Instead Of Being Embossed, Is Just Printed In Vande Bharat
Serving no purpose at all. What kind of people are taking decisions for Indian Railways?
#5 This Is The Inside Of The Bathroom Door At A Bar In NYC. After Some Cocktails, It Is Impossible To Pick The Right One On The First Try
#6 Waiting Room At Pediatric Clinic Has Toys Secured Behind Plexiglass For Display Only – No Actual Toys For The Kids To Play With
It’s strange when we think about how much we and our moods are influenced by the environments we’re in. Apparently, visually unpleasant environments can make us feel more lonely. A 2024 report by the UK’s Centre for Social Justice, for example,revealedthat ugly buildings contribute to the epidemic of loneliness.
The respondents in their survey claimed that architects and city planners don’t know what the local people really want. And they want green spaces; three-fifths of people with access to green spaces said they never felt lonely. And two-fifths thought that urban planners aren’t designing public spaces with community spirit in mind.
#7 Accessibility Ramp At The Resort I’m Staying At In Mexico
There are a bunch of other awful ramps around the premises, but this is definitely the worst one.
#8 Dublin Airport Didn’t Think This Through
#9 I Saw This At My School
The senior researcher at CSJ, Josh Nicholson, said the the UK government’s new policy to build 1.5 million new homes should take into consideration that people want more communal and green spaces. “The country urgently needs more homes, but this should not mean cutting corners, degrading the built environment, or concreting over green community space,” he observed.
#10 There Is A Door In The Ceiling Of Our School
No one knows where it goes (including teachers and janitors), no one has ever used it. It mysteriously opened a few days ago, and no one knows how. You can’t see anything in it, it’s just darkness. No one has an explanation. Our school is 98 years old.
#11 All Public Restrooms In America Seem To Be Like This – Why Bother Having A Door If It Doesn’t Cover You?
This isn’t the worst I’ve seen/used. I’m just tired of it and mildly infuriated.
#12 The Way These Pictures Are Hung In The Hallway At Work
In the U.S., people also believe that good public spaces should have a positive influence on people’s mental health. Approximately 86% of the respondents in the State of Community Facility Design surveysaidthat mental health and wellness should be a high priority in the design of community buildings.
#13 When Booking My Ticket, I Was Told I Might Have A Slightly Restricted View. ‘Slightly’ Is A Bit Of An Understatement
#14 “That’s What’s Missing – A Ceiling Mirror! Why Hasn’t Anyone Thought Of This Before?”
#15 Useless Access Ramp In A Dubai Shopping Mall
So, what do public spaces need in order to be successful? The Project for Public Spaceshas a few ideas. They offer some features that a public place should have for it to be functional, aesthetically pleasing, and well-liked among the people who are using it. Let’s go over some of them.
#16 It Took Me Five Minutes To Figure Out How To Activate The Water (You Had To Spin The Golden Tip)
#17 This Sink Drips Water Like Rain, It Is All One Pipe With Holes So If One Person Uses It Wastes Enough Water For 5 People And Doesn’t Even Provide A Steady Stream
#18 My Hotel’s “Pool Area”
They start with places to sit. Nowadays, many public spaces use hostile architecture to deter people from sitting or sleeping there. Others are planned poorly, with no places to sit in the shade or the sun (depending on the climate), not near a playground, and not close enough to other activities. A good public space should have all these things, allowing people to sit down and spend some time there.
#19 The Wallpaper In The Women’s Restroom At The Hotel I’m Staying At
#20 You Could Have At Least Put The Bowl Under The Faucet
#21 Men’s Room Door At A Local Hospital. I Had To Turn Sideways To Get In, I Am Not A Large Man
A good public space should also have a place for people to gather around. That can be a food cart, some seating, or even a bus stop. The PPS gives the Parc de la Villette in Paris as a bad example; the seats force people to sit far away from each other, and the signs ask them not to climb the sculpture. A good gathering place should have food, activities, and lots of places to sit.
#22 The Nonsensical Placement Of These Lights In This Classroom
#23 My School Tried To Make The Staircase To The Cafeteria Accessible To Wheelchair Users
#24 No Need To Measure … This Also Isn’t A Installation Problem It Appears Multiple Times Throughout The University
People decide if they want to enter a public space depending on its entrance. If it’s narrow, not inviting, and you can’t see what’s inside, you likely won’t want to come in. Bryant Park in New York City, for example, has coffee and sandwich kiosks at the entrance, making it that much more inviting. You can also see the inside of the park from the street, so you’re more inclined to come in.
#25 This Clubs Toilets Have No Doors
#26 This Stunning Mural Painted In My School Was Covered Up By Lockers Recently
#27 “Shall We Cut The Wall Or Remove The Fan?” “No”
There’s much to be said about how car-dominant cities are nowadays. However, the experts at the PPS note that a good public space shouldn’t be dominated by vehicles and traffic. Streets have to have crosswalks, and not be too wide, and people need to be able to cross them comfortably, even if they have to wait for a little while.
#28 This Bathroom Floor
#29 This Is Apparently A Clean Wash Basin
#30 This Ceiling Fan In My Classroom
What public design features get a rise out of you most, Pandas? Do you see any of them on this list? Share your thoughts on public space design with us in the comments! And while you’re here, don’t forget to check out our previous posts about questionable design choices for communal spaceshere,here,andhere!
#31 Both Of These Overlapping Tvs Have The Volume On In The Hospital Waiting Room
#32 “Microwave Ovens” Sign At My Local Electronics Store
#33 My Grocery Store Removed The “Minute Clinic” And Replaced It With Video Slot Machines
#34 Found This At My College
#35 ‘My Job Is To Build Walls Not Move Screens’
#36 The Alignment Of The Panels In This Elevator
#37 Cameras In Locker Room
#38 Remodeled Bathroom At Work. I Guess There Wasn’t A Better Place To Put The Full Size Mirror
#39 Imagine Spending $300 For NFL Tickets, Just To Sit Behind A Pillar
#40 My School Doesn’t Have Stall Doors
#41 This Signage At My Local Cafe
#42 Ceilings In My Highschool Be Like :
#43 This Angled Mirror Is A Pain To Use
#44 View From The Last Row Of My Local Theater
#45 Msp Airport
#46 United Terminal, O’hare Airport, Chicago
#47 I’ve Had To Stare At It For A Four Hour Layover. Its Just Off Center
#48 This Random Toilet In The Hall
#49 Installed Those Elevator Buttons, Boss
#50 The Lights At My Dentist
#51 A Blank Wall Would Have Been Just Fine
#52 This Title In The Bathroom At A Restaurant
#53 Just Typical Classroom
#54 This Door At My Dentist’s Office
#55 Useful Braille Text
context: This small representation of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta in Aquileia, Italy was created by the Francesco Cavazza Institute for the Blind, its purpose (I presume) was to help blind people understand the shape of the historic church (obviously without success)
#56 This Snow White Sign At The Local Supermarket
#57 Wallpaper In Our School Is In German, We Neither Are In Germany Or Learning German
#58 They Way They Laid The Carpet In Our Hotel
#59 This Clock In My School’s Gym
#60 Just Nothing Centered Anywhere
#61 Auditorium Desks At The Top Row Are Very Practial
#62 In A Conference Room At My Work. Yes, The Whiteboard Extends Fully Behind The Beam
#63 At Glance, The Sign In This Conference Room Looks Like It’s Encouraging Bad Behavior
#64 How Do You Even Do That
#65 You Need To Lay Down To Get Into The Door
#66 I Mean If You Insist
#67 One Way To Hide The Tp
Noticed this bit the ATL airport
#68 The Doors Open The Other Way Around
#69 The Way My Work Hung This Smoke Detector? In The Toilets
#70 There Are Several Of These At My School And I Am Unlucky Enough To Be Right In The Corner
#71 Carpet Design At My School That Looks Like Moss!
#72 I’ve Been Sitting In The Waiting Room Of This Doctors Office For Over An Hour And This Painting Is Really Making Me Mad
#73 One Of The Classrooms At My University
#74 Location Of A Bench At My School
#75 Not Sure If It Counts, But This Restaurant Put Rocks In Their Sink For -=*aesthetic*=-
#76 But Why Tho
#77 Instead Of Pressing The Button, People Pressed The Instructions
#78 Construction Going On At My Office. As Far As I Can Tell They Installed A New Lightswitch But Just Slapped The Old Plate Over It
#79 Whoever Designed These 45° Angle Things For Gwr Trains Is Evil. Where Am I Supposed To Put My Foot?!
#80 Odd Doorway Left After Office Reconfigurations [glass Wall Removed, Custom Ceiling Not Restored]
#81 Our Gym Has Been Promising Us A New Gym With A Running Track. After An 8 Month Delay, We Finally Got The “Track.”
#82 These Stairs At An Art Museum Are Horrible. I Have Difficulties In Depth Perception Even If My Eye Sight Is Perfect And I Had To Keep My Hands On The Ramp At All Time. Not The Museum’s Fault
#83 The Floor In My Hallway
#84 Spent A Little Too Long After A Sleepy Drive Trying To Find The Snacks Section
#85 Yes Boss, I Put The Seats In The Correct Order
#86 I Love Being Forced To Watch Ads Before Being Able To See What Drinks A Store Has…
#87 This Transparent Toilet Door In An Office Building. No, It’s Not One Of The Fancy Ones That Go Opaque When Closed
#88 A Pole Blocks This Aisle’s Path, Meaning You Have To Go The Other Way Around Or Just Don’t Even Bother
#89 In A Chinese Restaurant
#90 This Department Stores Accessible Lift Is Up A Set Of Stairs
#91 This Chair Is 211 And Not 404
#92 Saw This At A School
#93 My Hospital Got New Floors Installed
#94 A Pillar In The Middle Of A Stairway
#95 Big Steps In A Toilet Cubicle In A Mall. Safe To Say I Fell As I Was Walking To The Door After Turning To Flush
#96 A Useful Staircase At The Mall
#97 (Oc) Toilets For Disabled People Are Located Upstairs In A Restaurant In Stockholm
#98 This Movie Theater Makes The High Prices Of Its Concessions Impossible To Read, Even From The Counter
#99 This Is Right Outside A Hotel Lobby Bathroom. The Painting Is Even A Wooden Bench
#100 Questionable Outlet Placement
