Spaces for Democracy
A set of 10 critical reflections through an exploration of alternative methodologies in design research
M. Russchen (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
Irene Luque Martin – Mentor (TU Delft - Urban Design)
Caroline Newton – Mentor (TU Delft - Spatial Planning and Strategy)
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Abstract
Currently, the world is in a state of radical uncertainty, pressing the importance for strong democracies more than ever, in order to make sure decisions are made in a socially and environmentally just manner. However, in the past years, a global trend of democratic erosion has been identified. This trend is threatening even the older, well-established democracies. In the Netherlands, a growing distrust towards politicians has been identified as well. Solutions to restore this distrust and to bring citizens and government together, have a hard time addressing all different groups in society and are causing even more frustration among citizens. The main question this research focuses on is the following:
‘How can spaces for a radical pluralist democracy be identified, designed and used, in the context of The Hague’
In order to tackle the issue of democratic erosion, and to offer solutions to prevent the continuation of this phenomenon, this research proposes an exploration of the concept of the radical pluralist democracy, through a spatial lens based on Critical Urban Theory, by focussing on the role of the designer and by implementing a research by design method through Radical Spatial Imaginaries, resulting in a list of 10 critical reflections.