Opinion: Opening Restrooms to Public Is Good for Business

In a piece for Bloomberg CityLab, Michael Osso and Marilyn G. Geller call for a new solution to the “great urban restroom shortage,” an issue Planetizen has highlighted before.

“Most of us have experienced the challenge of finding a public restroom, but for many, restroom access isn’t just a matter of convenience — it’s a serious medical issue,” the authors, respectively the president and CEO of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the Celiac Disease Foundation, argue. Since many U.S. cities lack adequate restroom facilities, Osso and Geller suggest that, in lieu of a targeted public investment in more public facilities, private businesses should open their restroom doors to the public, and governments should incentivize them to do so through direct payments or tax credits.

We expect the generosity of participating businesses to be fully paid back in the form of increased goodwill — and revenue, above and beyond any incentives. In fact, a recent Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation survey found that more than three-quarters of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients stated that they were more likely to patronize a business if they could find their restrooms on a restroom finder app.

The authors point out that similar incentives to encourage businesses to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines already exist, and restroom incentive programs are popular in Germany and the United Kingdom. Making more restrooms publicly available, they write, can benefit businesses and make cities easier to navigate for more people.