Bollards, Bunkers, and Barriers: Securing the National Mall in Washington, DC

Abstract

In this paper I examine the paradox of democracy and hypersecurity in one of the most significant urban public spaces in the USA, the National Mall in Washington, DC. I explore the 2002 comprehensive security plan for the National Mall. The security plan has generated heated public debate over how to improve security in a post-September 11 world, and protect highly symbolic space, while also preserving the open character of the USA's most visible and used public spaces. I conclude that so far issues of terrorism and national security have trumped concerns about public access on the National Mall. As a result this could both change the symbolic landscape as well as impede active forms of political protest, marches, and demonstrations. These changes are significant, yet have occurred without genuine public debate and participation in the planning process.

The Forum: Dealing with the Aftermath of Political Violence

“…Is there a risk of a “ratchet effect”—that exceptional features and measures taken for the temporary protection of urban areas will become permanently and unquestionably embedded within the urban fabric of cities for generations to come? Concerns are similarly raised regarding whether “the prioritization of security over access to public space may be linked to broader social‐political agendas that seek to restrict the use of public space in general” (Benton‐Short 2007:442).…”

Designing Visible Counter-terrorism Interventions in Public Spaces

“…Pre-emptive communication strategies such as the deployment of armed police guards or controlled access points (Adey, 2004;Benton-Short, 2007) often have a multiplicity of purposes. Such interventions seek to simultaneously communicate a sense of protection and reassurance to the audience of users of a space and encourage vigilance from them, while also being designed to disrupt anyone who may be engaged in covert activities and elicit noticeable behaviour (Coaffee et al, 2008;Németh, 2010).…”

Art as a Means to Disrupt Routine Use of Space

“…For example, one possible response to threat in a publicly accessible space is to restrict situational opportunities for crime (Clarke, 1997). This approach of target hardening is seen in the construction of the 'ring of steel' fortifications, established around the City of London following the Bishopsgate bombing in 1993 (Coaffee et al, 2009) and in the sunken paths encircling the Washington Monument, Washington DC (Benton-Short, 2007). Authority-focused responses can be disorientating and threatening for other people so diminishing the quality of experience of a space (Benton-Short, 2007).…”