Designing Cities for All

Designing Cities For All is a two-year research and presentation programme and is made up of various components. The programme is a combination of desk research, interviews and practical research on the one hand (supported by a total of six Fellows who will each work on the programme for three months) combined with the associated activities of dossier development; and on the other hand various forms of transfer and exchange of practical experiences and generated knowledge.

When doing research on designing cities for all, a first step is to define what we are talking about exactly. That's why in January 2021, we kicked off with a series of three livecasts with speakers who introduce you to the concepts we are going to touch on the next two years and the terminology that we are going to encounter. Let's break it down for you!

For architect Lyongo Juliana (Amsterdam), architecture is not just about making locations more beautiful and in balance, it is about creating a people’s experience. In recent years, he has investigated the degree of diversity and inclusiveness of architecture in Amsterdam. Starting January 2021, Lyongo will continue his research in Pakhuis de Zwijger’s two-year programme.

In earlier episodes of Designing Cities for All, we have seen that design is everywhere and everything around us is designed. We have also seen that there are flaws in these designs, because what we tend to do in this world is design for the middle and forget about the margins. Wouldn’t we create and build stronger structures for everyone, when we design for the people who are actually living with the failures of our designed products, spaces, and systems?

Indy Johar and Joost Beunderman are part of the team of Dark Matter Labs, a multidisciplinary design studio developing new working methods for system change. They are focused on the great transitions our societies need to respond to the technological revolution and climate breakdown we face. Starting April 2021, in Pakhuis de Zwijger’s two-year programme Indy and Joost and will discover, design, and develop the institutional ‘dark matter’ that supports a more democratic, distributed, and sustainable future, in which everyone – regardless of ability, ethnicity, gender, age, and cultural background – can participate with equal opportunities.

From buildings and products to policies, systems, and spaces – everything around us was once designed. In past DCFA episodes, we zoomed in on the challenges we are facing of individual, institutional, and systemic inequity, and highlighted that inclusion happens by design, or not at all. We have also seen that the dominant narrative of design and design thinking is often rooted in systems of oppression and exclusion. In this DCFA series, we see everyone as a (re)designer and will host a dialogue with an interdisciplinary group of artists, researchers, activists, educators, and students to uncover these topics. How can we untangle these forms of exclusion and (re)design a more equitable world, grounded in values of inclusion, trust, liberation, and healing?

So you’re interested in what you can read to become a better designer, architect, urban planner, urbanist, or neighbour living and working in a super-divers city? Here are a few recommendations from our DCFA team, and we will add recommendations periodically. For all you city designers that want to empower yourself (and others), let these reads guide your practice of transforming cities for the better. And guess what? You can order these books with a pretty neat discount* via our favourite bookstore Athenaeum!