Looking back at Designing Cities for All

In 2021, the extensive two-year research & activity programme Designing Cities for All (DCFA) commenced with the support of the Creative Industries Fund NL. The focus has been on the role of designers in shaping and creating cities by, for and with everyone and every living thing. Not only in a spatial sense but also with regard to the digital domain and relating to the design of our public systems, services, and products. Two years later, in 2023, Designing Cities for All rebooted with a new sub-theme, Designing Cities for All: RE-generation. After exploring the concept of exclusion by design in the first two years, this project has focused on the field of regenerative design that led to social and ecological recovery and that kept the systems healthy. And finally, in December 2024, we organised an inspiring wrap-up event, Grand Finale Designing Cities for All, with engaging talks, readings and performances to reflect on our four-year journey.

Now, let’s have a look back at Designing Cities for All over the years and on our incredible collaborations!

Grand Finale Designing Cities for All

Maxime Franck for Pakhuis de Zwijger
(Fom left to right: Lucia Kula, Ekim Tan, Geoffrey van der Ven)

In the event, previous DCFA Fellows shared and reflected on their main takeaways and ‘Aaha!’ moments that they gathered from their fellowship experience and joining some of the past DCFA activities.

(From left to right: Janelle Sallons, Sobhi Khatib)

The launch of the last DCFA publication, Closing Perspectives on Designing Cities for All, was also celebrated during this wonderful evening. Janelle Sallons and Sobhi Khatib read parts from the essays they contributed to the book.

(In the image: Jonathan Tjien Fooh)

We concluded the evening with an amazing spoken word performance by Jonathan Tjien Fooh.

Closing Perspectives on Designing Cities for All

This final publication reflects the end of the Designing Cities For All: RE-generation, approach, and manifesto focusing on the role of designers in shaping and creating cities for, by and with everyone. While the first and second essay bundles each reflect the first and second years of DCFA, this third and last publication reflects the final two years (2023-2024). All three publications, with the Design Principles booklet, are a culmination of the whole DCFA trajectory over the past four years.

Nicole Spakman for Pakhuis de Zwijger
(Soft launch event of Closing Perspectives on Designing Cities for All at Dutch Design Week 2024)

Designing Cities for All: RE-generation

How might we design for not just everyone, but for all living things?

As a research and presentation programme, ‘Designing Cities for All: RE-generation’, DCFA delved into the subject of regenerative design during two years of creative, interactive, intersectional, participatory and practical programmes; together with designers, professionals, students, storytellers, policymakers and other experts from many different disciplines.

After exploring the concept of exclusion by design in the first two years of Designing Cities for All, now, this programme focused on the role of design in (re)shaping and (re)creating regenerative cities by, for and with everyone and every living thing. The project offered a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge generation, through live public programmes, desk research and interviews, excursions, the DCFA Student Book Club and a university tour.

You can find the recorded livecasts of our programmes, articles, recommended books, updates about activities, and an overview of involved speakers and Designing Cities for All advocates all in this dossier!

As an extensive two-year research and activity programme, Designing Cities for All was made up of various components: desk research, interviews and practical research on the one hand (supported by a total of six Fellows who each worked on a programme series 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.

The bilingual (Dutch and English) activity programme aimed to give insights into and provided tools for the inclusive (re)design of the city in all facets for future and current designers who are active in the fields of architecture, graphic and visual communications, industrial design, spatial design, product design, digital design, game design and much more.

Finally, we would like to give the biggest Thank you! to you, and all of our advocates for being with us on this journey. In 2025, we will continue our collaborations and activities. Stay tuned and check our website for more information for upcoming events!