Design Assembly

On 14 November 2026, the WDC 2026 will bring together politics, administration, science, design and civil society in St. Paul's Church for a joint moment of reflection – and new beginnings.

The Design Assembly is more than just a closing event. It is a political sounding board. It brings together the experiences of a year in which hundreds of projects have tested how design can strengthen democratic processes – in public spaces, in institutions, in neighbourhoods, in administrations.

The central question is: How can an experiment become a lasting democratic practice?

With a keynote speech by Maja Göpel, the focus is on the values that drive social transformation: responsibility, orientation towards the common good, sustainability. Her perspective opens up the horizon – beyond the year of action.

Artistic interventions create spaces for reflection – they make it tangible that democracy is not only organised, but also experienced. The Design Assembly closes the year 2026 – and at the same time opens the next step: permanently anchoring design as a public competence.