Public restrooms are in short supply in cities throughout the United States, and historian Bryant Simon, a professor at Temple University, examines that shortage in a new book. The work, titled 'For Customers Only: Public Bathrooms and the Making of American Inequality,' was the subject of reporting published on October 17, 2026.
Simon's book frames the scarcity of public restrooms as more than a matter of convenience. The title itself signals the central argument: access to restrooms is frequently conditioned on being a paying customer, a dynamic the book ties to the broader making of American inequality.
The topic carries direct relevance for communities across the country, where the availability of public facilities shapes who can move freely through a city and who cannot. Simon, a historian, brings an academic perspective to a question that affects daily life for residents and visitors alike.
The reporting on the book was published by NPR Topics: National, with authorship credited to Daniel Ofman. Audio accompanying the report was noted as becoming available later on the day of publication.
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