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Notes -
In Basel, I remember when the downtown public restrooms got considerably upgraded! Automatic doors, light soundproofing, self-cleaning toilets, etc.
Not sure where they stand today, but I think this initiative would be completely wasted in most major US cities. I'm sure there were still junkies shooting up in them, but that activity was often traceless.
Public toilets in Switzerland, certainly in the big cities, are infamously drug injection/use sites, especially in Basel and Zurich. Occasionally they make an effort to clean them up, but I’m skeptical it lasts long.
Oh yeah. I remember the needle bins in the public parks, and the permissive attitudes regarding the use sites. And yet, somehow I never encountered somebody shitting in the streets, passed out on a bench, or going schizo at a random passer-by. The mentality seemed to be "Fine, you can do those things. The moment this starts getting ugly or impinge on anybody else, you will get hauled off. Keep it invisible." I saw more social dysfunction from imported Turks and Albanians than from the junkies.
Not sure how well this model has survived. My experience was about 20 years ago. But I had the sense that this only possible as a result of 'Swiss Culture', if that's not too vague. Being a smaller country also helps. It seemed to work well enough for them, but if anybody pitched the idea needle bins in the nearby parks around me here in the US, I'd tell them they're crazy.
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