#15 - Population per Public Restroom
| City | Population (approx.) | Restrooms per 100k residents | Ratio (people per restroom) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York City | 8.5 million | 8.4 | ~11,900 people per restroom |
| Los Angeles | 3.9 million | ~10 | ~10,000 people per restroom |
| Chicago | 2.7 million | ~9 | ~11,100 people per restroom |
| Houston | 2.3 million | 7.7 | ~13,000 people per restroom |
| Phoenix | 1.7 million | ~9 | ~11,100 people per restroom |
| Philadelphia | 1.6 million | 4.1 | ~24,400 people per restroom |
| San Antonio | 1.5 million | 13.8 | ~7,200 people per restroom |
| San Diego | 1.4 million | 25.6 | ~3,900 people per restroom |
| Dallas | 1.3 million | 4.4 | ~22,700 people per restroom |
| San Jose | 1.0 million | ~10 | ~10,000 people per restroom |
🔹 Key Insights
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San Diego is the standout, with nearly 26 restrooms per 100k residents—about 1 restroom for every 3,900 people.
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Philadelphia and Dallas are critically low, with over 20,000 people per restroom.
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New York City, despite its size and park network, only offers 8.4 restrooms per 100k residents, translating to ~11,900 people per restroom.
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On average, large U.S. cities (>1M population) have just 10 restrooms per 100k residents, meaning roughly 1 restroom for every 10,000 people.
This ratio makes clear why restroom renewal is urgent: in most major cities, tens of thousands of people share each public restroom, creating both dignity and public health challenges.
We need a new standard: one public restroom for every 1,000 to 2,000 people.
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Pandemic Preparedness: COVID‑19 taught us that viruses spread fastest where hygiene is weakest. If the “Big One” arrives—whether another respiratory virus or a catastrophic earthquake—restrooms become frontline defenses. Without them, handwashing collapses, and contagion accelerates.
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Equity & Dignity: Restrooms are not luxuries. They are survival infrastructure. A ratio of 1:1,000–2,000 ensures that every neighborhood, every transit hub, every stadium has accessible hygiene.
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Public Health Math: At current ratios (often 1:10,000 or worse), cities are gambling with exponential risk. A single restroom serving thousands becomes a choke point for infection. By contrast, scaling down to 1:1,000–2,000 distributes hygiene access across the population, reducing crowding and exposure.
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Future‑Proofing: The “Big One”—whether pandemic or disaster—will not wait for us to build after the fact. Standards must be set now, so infrastructure is ready when crisis hits.
"This is not about convenience. It is about survival. Hope in hygiene rules them all—and that hope requires restrooms." Bruce Bonnett
Restrooms Are Armor
BruceBB
The city lights shine, but the restrooms are few,
Crowds keep movin’, what’s a body to do?
Pandemic taught lessons, survival’s the plan,
Hygiene is hope, the right of woman and man.
Mere humans in transit, in parks, on the street,
Dignity collapses when there’s nowhere to meet.
The Big One is coming, a quaking of disease,
Restrooms are armor, the frontline we need.
Renew every station, restore dignity’s flame,
Rally communities, remember the name.
Mere humans united, no status, no crown,
Hygiene’s the equalizer; it breaks viruses down.
Hope in hygiene rules them all, that’s the call,
Without it, the mighty and the meek both fall.
Build one per two thousand, the standard we choose,
For mere humans surviving, we cannot afford to lose.
The Restroom Renewal Manifesto
