The perceived disappearance of public bathrooms is the result of a complex shift in urban policy and social economics often referred to as "hostile architecture" or "exclusionary design." In many major cities, municipal governments began closing public restrooms in the late 20th century to reduce maintenance costs and discourage "antisocial behavior," such as drug use or loitering. This was exacerbated by the "privatization of public space," where the responsibility for providing facilities shifted to private businesses like Starbucks or McDonald's. However, these businesses have increasingly implemented "customer only" policies or digital keypad locks to manage the high volume of non-paying users. In 2026, many cities are seeing a "restroom crisis," leading to a rise in "pay-to-use" models common in Europe but historically unpopular in the U.S. There is also a significant legal hurdle; modern building codes require bathrooms to be ADA-compliant, which makes building and maintaining new public facilities significantly more expensive than the simple "stalls" of the past. This has led to the current "desert" of facilities where finding a restroom often requires a smartphone app or a mandatory purchase.