Public tiles, public toilets

[imomus]

Think of public space -- particularly public transport -- in America and the epithet "run down" tends to spring to mind. The land of the free is all about free enterprise, not freely-available public services placed at the disposal of all citizens.



Public transport in New York City is currently in a state of crisis, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announcing 10% fare hikes in order to deal with an ongoing financial crisis exacerbated by their 2004 decision to deal with massive debt by leasing their real estate holdings to private concerns. Any short-term gain that privatising measure brought has since been wiped out by the property bust.

Using the New York subway, though, what I notice is that there are signs that a public service ethic has existed here, and that, in places, it's even become a public service aesthetic. Tiles and mosaics are the most visible sign of civic pride in the subway system, and I've found myself photographing murals at the stations I've been using to shuttle back and forth across Manhattan. Some of them seem to be fairly recent -- the weird "smashed wall" motif has to be 1980s postmodern, for instance, and the elaborate geometric motifs at Lexington and 53rd look to be no more than a decade old. There are some nice tile images in my local station at 86th Street, too, showing peasants and pigs.



Sometimes, though, you come across reminders of how public space is problematical in the United States, and getting more so. Yesterday I found some tile signs on a subway platform designating a couple of heavily barred and bolted doors "MEN" and "WOMEN". At one point there had clearly been that most useful public facility, a public toilet, right on the subway platform. Now, though, that's a service too far for the MTA.

Why can't you have public toilets on public transport? "Oh, homeless people would live in them," said a friend. The massive inequality between rich and poor, haves and have-nots in the US -- the very thing that makes public services such a screaming need -- is also what makes public services impossible to provide here.

Comments

[contentlove.livejournal.com]

Gosh, you're right! And it's unique to the US, too. No such thing as a gigantic massive gap between the haves and the have nots in, say, India, right!

[mcgazz.livejournal.com]

There's a catch-22 with public buildings. If the authorities do them up to look nice, they're accused of wasting taxpayers' money on cosmetic things; if the money isn't spent, they're described as 'run down', 'shabby', etc and held up as proof of why everything the state does is rubbish.

[mcgazz.livejournal.com]

I missed the bit where he said only the US had a gap between the haves and have-nots. Maybe Americans should be less paranoid and defensive?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

India's not the richest country in the world, though. The opportunity to be an equitable society has been there for the US, but they haven't taken it (the New Deal era and the current administration excepted to some extent). It's a question of political priorities and cultural outlook.

[desant012.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. One of the things New York lacks are public spaces ... -any- public spaces. The few public parks we have Bloomberg is trying to give away to his private developer buddies (think Union Square, if you can call that a park).

I'm not sure if you follow the local politics here, but there was a recent uproar over Bloomberg's plan to charge 50% income rent to -homeless families- living in shelters who are working and saving up for an apartment of their own. Charging rent ... to homeless people ... struggling to get out of poverty. That's turn-of-the-century New York right there for you.

Bloomberg has been an absolute disaster on this city in regards to public services, public spaces, and equitable treatment of all the people who live here. Of course I wonder why the Democrats haven't even fielded a candidate for this guy yet ... (and why they put out the most absolutely unqualified candidate possible who had absolutely no chance of winning whatsoever the last time Bloomberg ran).

Anyway, many of us have noticed these things here.

[theholyinnocent.livejournal.com]

The inequalities are even more glaring when you see subway stations in other NYC boroughs, in less prosperous sections of the city: Many of them are horribly run down to the point of being unsafe for commuters (e.g., broken, crumbling staircases, holes in walls and ceilings, peeling lead-based paint).

[cargoweasel.livejournal.com]

THAT is uniquely American as far as I've found. It has to do with the love-hate relationship with public works.

Masstransiscope

[(Anonymous)]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/01/arts/design/01zoet.html

Most of the tile work is new -- done in the last 10 years or so. I agree, it's great. And, yes, it's a shame the transit system as a whole is broken. One of the older works is the recently rehabbed Masstransiscope.

"He wanted to create a mass-transit version of a zoetrope, the earliest motion picture device, by constructing a long slitted light box alongside a subway track with a series of paintings inside so that, when a train passed, riders experienced the illusion that the painting was moving."

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, and I just made this connection: at the same time Bloomberg decided to charge 50% rent to the homeless families, he placed one of his Wall Street banker friends as the head of the New York public housing authority. A man who wants to convert public housing into condo developments. Wonderful, right?

Of course there are a lot of people who like Bloomberg specifically for shit like that... mostly whatever knuckleheads are left inin Bay Ridge, and the fat-head bankers who flooded here during the whole banking boom this decade. Good crowd, huh.

Re: Masstransiscope

[imomus.livejournal.com]

There is actually something like that in the tunnel taking the Narita Express out of the airport and towards Tokyo.

[(Anonymous)]

The problem, I think, is society's understanding of free will. We have yet to fully grasp the fact of our being accidental products of our environment, and that one person is not more worthy of success than another. Once that is understood by the majority, progressive taxation would be adopted fully.

[(Anonymous)]

i'd have to disagree to an extent. nyc requires many large developments to incorporate public space into their design plans, so you'll find many small parks and atriums tucked away into or between massive office towers. now, they run the gamut from peaceful to depressing but that's the city for you... space is what you make it. not in a tokyo sort of way where the city is an extension of your living quarters but moreso in a sense that you seek little outlets of relaxation to self medicate from time to time. overall, though, you're right, for a city of this size, it is a very imposing "do your work and get out" type of place these days. bloomberg is almost worse than giuliani in my opinion; he's a plutocrat running the city as if it were another multi-billion dollar corporation. he shows little feigned interest in the mailroom workers but lavishes the young execs with whatever will keep them at their desks. and despite his softer attitude compared to giuliani, the fact of the matter is young minorities in this city still have it terribly, are still going to public schools in decrepit conditions (physically and morally) and are still consistently harrassed by a police force that is both bored beyond belief and hawkish about any perceived "quality of life" offense.

[virginiarappe.livejournal.com]

Hard not to agree about how run down the NYC subways are, but I'd sooner blame too little free enterprise in the subway than too much. Who are the MTA's competitors again? They don't exactly have much incentive to keep things in order when the city has given them exclusive control over the underground.

But head to midtown and you'll find plenty of well-kept, freely available public spaces inside and around all the commercial skyscrapers there. The city exacts these spaces from nearly every new development, probably with good intentions, but they sit there completely underused. Which is hardly surprising, considering their location.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

We have yet to fully grasp the fact of our being accidental products of our environment, and that one person is not more worthy of success than another.

Oh, we grasped it. But Tabula Rasa as a blanket explanation for human behavior and personality was discredited in the 1970's.

[ghostsick.livejournal.com]

(http://tinypic.com)


Are there public toilets in London's underground system? Tokyo's? The rest of Europe?

[desant012.livejournal.com]

Public services in the hands of private entities are counterproductive in that a private entity has absolutely no interest in serving the public good beyond the minimum it takes to earn the most money.

Coupled with this is the fact that a private business or corporation has a -legal obligation- to shareholders to 1) minimze costs and 2) externalize costs as much as humanly possible. As in, the least service possible that will make the most money.

Do people really believe in that whole "private for public good" crap anymore? I thought this whole crisis on our hands was evidence that it just doesn't work.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha, nice picture!

Tokyo's public transport does have toilets, but the best toilet solution there is a private one: every convenience store has a toilet, and they're open 24/7.

[nightspore.livejournal.com]

One thing about New York is that the MTA runs 24/7, which is, if not unique, extremely rare. Maintenance of a 24/7 transit system is challenging.

I believe the toilets were closed a couple of decades ago after some horrendous crimes.

Bloomberg is not helpful about getting public bathrooms available.

You should check out the "ghost station" on the West Side IRT at 91st. I don't know whether it's lit up anymore, but it was when I took the train to school every day, and I loved seeing it.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a 24/7 subway is a boon, and NYC is the only city I know to have it (Berlin does it weekends only, London and Tokyo not at all). It's obviously great for the nighttime economy, but some cities don't want to develop that, it seems. Or perhaps (as in Tokyo) there's lobbying from taxi drivers.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

"Why can't you have public toilets on public transport? "Oh, homeless people would live in them," said a friend. The massive inequality between rich and poor, haves and have-nots in the US -- the very thing that makes public services such a screaming need -- is also what makes public services impossible to provide here."

I think it's much more a case of the few spoiling it for the many. The majority of the public spaces I encounter that are in complete disarray are that way because of vandalism and general disrespect.

[(Anonymous)]

Momus - still my all time favourite post

http://imomus.livejournal.com/348179.html

Re: Masstransiscope

[akabe.livejournal.com]

there is , or was? i wouldn't know bcs i don't ride trains anymore, one on the marunouchi line between yotsuya and yoshuyasanchome or so.// i first saw the idea in an atelier wan ideas mook or magazine

Re: Masstransiscope

[akabe.livejournal.com]

book

every convenience store has a toilet

[akabe.livejournal.com]

well, not in what would be tokyo's manhattan. its new jerseys and queenses etc would

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

The Metro in Paris drove me nuts for this reason. The sidewalks seemed to roll up at midnight. If I wanted that, I could stay at home in the sticks.

Why wouldn't metropolitan centers want to develop a 'nighttime economy'? If you're going to be a city, BE a city!

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Also has a lot to do with opportune areas for rapes, muggings and murders during the 70's and 80's in New York. Ultimately its as much about public safety as it is resources.

Re: Masstransiscope

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Used to be a public installation in one station that consisted of mobiles that spun as trains passed. Beats those stupid bronze blobby men on the L.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Well, the other extreme doesn't work, either. Has to be a synthesis between the two that incorporates both cooperation and incentives.

stilles örtchen

[(Anonymous)]

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jujus-delivery/3533978130/)

a public toilet at a station in berlin - late 70s. for a while they had a bad rep but they're still in service and cleaner than ever. though there is a small fee now for using public toilets (...as far as I know).

Re: Masstransiscope

[(Anonymous)]

my favorite part of the nyc subway is riding through the dimly lit, ghostly tunnels. you can see two decades worth of graffiti, some of it huge rants written in neat writing. i'd rather watch these go by than see some full motion ad for soda or mobile phones (which is what they've done in a lot of other cities with this technology).

tangentially, i also love the advertisements from the MTA that showcase poetry. there are some really good selections from time to time!

Re: stilles örtchen

[(Anonymous)]

There was a public toilet on Notting Hill Gate station (London) until a couple of years ago (there might still be, though I haven't been there for a while). It isn't on the platform, but it is still in the station.

Stephen Parkin

[timothyellison.livejournal.com]

Needless to say, the political history of the United States is very complicated.

In general, altermodernism feels to me like something where there is space for sensitivity to issues of national identity. It is my hope that the after-effects of 19th century political philosophy will not get in the way of allowing for that sensitivity.

[internought.livejournal.com]

There are in fact public restrooms available in a number of stations across the boroughs, as Wikipedia correctly reports (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway#Restrooms), but the number has been dwindling over the past decade as the MTA has converted them one by one into storage facilities. Times Square station used to have three whose entry lock was remotely controlled by an attendant in a small booth nearby, while another attendant stood nearby to check for syringes, vomit, messes, etc. after you walked out. Seems like those were phased out not too long after the 2005 subway strike.

[(Anonymous)]

The (non?)euclidean universe at 53rd St Station is by native New Yorker Al Held.

[(Anonymous)]

Why would a 2004 decision to sell property be "wiped out" by the property bust? It may have looked a bit daft as property prices continued to rise after 2004 but should look fantastic now. If you told people you sold your house and started renting before the property market fell, people would be congratulating you. Whatever financial problems the MTA currently has, that shouldn't be one of them as you describe it.

[xchimx.livejournal.com]

making public toilets available is hardly a solution. I would bet that those bathrooms were closed after they began to be used more for a place to inject heroine rather than relieve ones bladder. investing more in rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, financial assistance to the impoverished, etc. is what we need. closing bathroom doors is just one of many inevitable consequences for the lack of social services for the poor.

[trickybrkn.livejournal.com]

I was working on a web site rating NYC's public toilets.

It would be a great iphone app.

to quote the iphone ads, "lets say your looking to take a shit on Union Square, there's an APP for that
dooo dooooo"

[(Anonymous)]

^
well put.
I think the toilet point is only one element in a complex situation. I'm off the Myrtle stop (JMZ) we have working/open restrooms there.
Chicago subway also is 24/7 to some extent.
Momus, your point is of course well stated and correct... but ah, is to my knowledge very common knowledge. So although correct, it sounds a bit naive.
USA has a huge gap between rich/poor. We have almost no public services etc. Micheal Moore made a movie about this subject I believe dealing w our healthcare system.
it suchs. But common knowledge.
Glad you like the subway art. Pretty cool huh?

Public Restrooms...

[hamadelica.livejournal.com]

While you're probably right in assuming that the facilities have been barred to stick it to the homeless, you're over looking another blatant avenue for social/cultural deconstruction. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, BART closed its bathroom doors right after 9/11. And if you ever find yourself at the greyhound station in Oklahoma city good luck trying to rent one of their storage lockers. They were rendered useless after the Oklahoma City Bombing some years ago...

Re: Masstransiscope

[mrobot.livejournal.com]

hey! i love those guys! they're so industrious!

[spaglet.livejournal.com]

There are a number, yes. (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/toilets-map.pdf) (As a matter of design, though, all stations have staff toilets - and if you're dressed for the occasion, in transport orange, you might be able to use them if someone sympathetic's on the gateline.)

[spaglet.livejournal.com]

There's too much to do between now and 2012!

Re: stilles örtchen

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

You made a fashion statement!

http://www.latimes.com/la-tm-cory25feb25-pg,0,7380997.photogallery?index=7

[docscarabus.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. One of the things New York lacks are public spaces ... -any- public spaces

Isn't Central Park one of the public-works wonders of the world?

Keeping it brief.

[(Anonymous)]

http://www.worldtoilet.org/

[dicky-bahto.livejournal.com]

i don't know how long the public restrooms in the ny subway have been closed, but in san francisco bart had public restrooms open until september 11th (i know because i frequently used them). not only did they get rid of the public restrooms, they also removed all of the trash cans from the stations, and also many from the streets, especially downtown. they also at the time had soldiers in the bart stations with machine guns, and soldiers would regularly ride the trains carrying guns. they have slowly been replacing the trash cans, but they probably will never re-open the restrooms.

[xaotica.livejournal.com]

They're provided sometimes in different ways. For example, seattle has the 'urban rest stop' where homeless people can shower, change, use clean bathrooms etc. But for obvious privacy reasons it's not easy to prevent people from doing heroin or living in a public restroom

[the23.livejournal.com]

the opportunity to be equitable is independent of wealth.