Some have speculated we are quickly becoming a “society of control” – a society that is not open and based on free will, but rather, by design, restricts choices – keeping people from making undesirable decisions. For example, right now we build roads that allow you to drive faster than the posted speed limit. As a result drivers need to exercise restraint to abide by the law. However, roads could easily be designed to keep cars from speeding by modifying their surface or configuration – calibrating the road to the speed limit. Semi-automated cars and soon driverless cars will regulate the speed we travel, making it impossible to exceed the set limit.
The upside of a “control society” is increased safety and order, but at what cost? Are we losing our ability to self regulate and take calculated risks? Children today are growing up with many more controls in place than the previous generation. I can still remember going on family road trips without safety belts. Now we strap our children into an apparatus that looks like it was designed for space travel. I am not advocating we stop using seat belts, but we should be concerned about the impact all these controls silently have on society.
If you have ever seen a beautiful open stair … it was not built in the United States. We have strict regulations that govern the design of stairs in order to keep people from inadvertently harming themselves. However, the more we regulate, the more desensitized people become to the dangers that surround them. The image shown here is a photograph of a newly constructed public seating area, beautiful and functional. It conforms to all regulations and meets every stated safety requirement. It was reviewed prior to construction and inspected by well-trained municipal officials.
Shortly after it was completed caution tape was placed over particular surfaces so that someone, who is not paying attention, won’t trip. It is interesting to note that the taped aluminum flanges designed to discourage skateboarders from using the stairs as a skate park (control), were considered tripping hazards for the unwary pedestrian. I don’t want people to trip, but have we gone too far? We can never remove all the dangers and unwanted behavior from our physical environment. If someone gets hurt the assumption is something was not designed properly, but how much responsibility should people bear? At what point should people be expected to be aware of their surroundings and to make appropriate decisions?
As humans we need adventure, the ability to make mistakes and messes and probe our limits. This is the way we learn and grow. What happens when all our adventures come through an electronic device? Does the primary role of the built environment then become comfort and safety? Does neutering our built environment really keep us safer? Should we start incorporating resistance in our spaces that help develop a healthier level of spatial awareness? With all the talk today about resilience, are we producing a generation that is unaware and ill prepared to deal with the dangers that exist in the real world?
The extent of a society’s control all starts with intention. If their intention is to prevent common injuries or unnecessary deaths then it could be debated that it deserves to be put into place. Even so, control interferes with people’s lives in a way that affects later generations. For example, people’s ability to sue each other has led to companies making sure they have all their bases covered and won’t have to pay someone for slipping on a puddle or burning their tongue on a hot coffee. Through time, this had lead to the decrease in the younger generation’s sense of self preservation. After all, if they mess up and harm themselves, it is the company who will be at fault.