Design Policy Days

When Design Gets Political

The third day of the Design Policy Days at Goethe University Frankfurt is aimed at anyone who views design as a political force. In collaboration with the German Design Day and the Research Centre for Normative Orders, it focuses on institutional politics: how can design be integrated into political decision-making processes methodologically, structurally and normatively – and how can politics itself be understood as a field of design?

The day is divided into three tracks: DEBATE addresses the major challenges of our time through round-table discussions on the interplay between design, politics and academia – across four fields: civil society, digital sovereignty, transformation and state reform. REFLECT forms the track focusing on political science and design studies, in which projects are presented and the questions raised are given a theoretical framework. ACT enhances the conference with workshops and an exhibition of international best-practice examples, bringing to life how design is already acting as a political force for change today. The outcomes of the day will be incorporated into the finalisation of the Design Action Plan Frankfurt RheinMain.

Also on the programme: Europe by Design. Because Europe’s future does not happen by itself – it is shaped. In the ACT track, 21st Europe, with Blueprints for the Future of Europe, explores design as a capacity of civil society to play an active and creative role in shaping Europe’s direction. And for those who want not just to discuss democracy but to change it, the workshop organised by Mehr Demokratie e. V. provides the space to do so – from one’s own neighbourhood right up to the global level.

To round off the day, the Hessian State Prize for Universal Design will be presented by Finance Minister Alexander Lorz and State Secretary Manuela Strube. The prize has been awarded every two years since 2013 by the Hessian Ministries of Finance, Social Affairs, and Economic Affairs and Transport, under the patronage of Minister-President Boris Rhein. It recognises products, projects and services that break down barriers: in the digital sphere, in the built environment and in everyday life.

Speakers:

Among those taking part are peace and conflict researcher Nicole Deitelhoff, WDO President Pradyumna Vyas, Thomas Hemmelgarn, Head of the European Commission’s EU Policy Lab, and Lucy Kimbell, Professor of Contemporary Design Practices at the University of the Arts London. International perspectives will be provided by Min Wang, a professor of design in Beijing, and Freeman Lau, a designer from Hong Kong. From the academic world, participants include design researcher Sabine Junginger (Northumbria University), legal philosopher Klaus Günther, a professor at Goethe University Frankfurt, political scientist Michael Saward (Democratic Design), and architect and design theorist Friedrich von Borries – along with many others.

Workshops:

21st Europe, Mehr Demokratie e. V., the German Society for Design Theory and Research (DGTF) in collaboration with the Bureau of European Design Associations (BEDA)

Key themes:

• Design as a democratic competence: the normative foundations of design and democracy
• Design in Government & Design Policy: international perspectives from Europe to Asia
• Civil society, digital sovereignty, transformation and state reform as areas for design
• Democratic innovation formats: citizens’ assemblies, civic prototyping, new models of representation
• From analysis to action: the Frankfurt RheinMain Design Action Plan

Programme:

09:30–09:45 Opening by the programme partners

09:45–11:15 International Opening Panel

11:30–12:45 DEBATE State Reform · REFLECT Policy Design · ACT Workshops & Exhibition

13:00–14:15 DEBATE Digital Sovereignty · REFLECT Designing Democracy · ACT Workshops

14:15–15:30 Lunch break

15:30–16:45 DEBATE Civil Society · REFLECT Design in Government · ACT Workshops

17:00–18:15 DEBATE Transformation · REFLECT Civic Prototyping & Citizen Assembly · ACT Workshops

18:30–19:15 Closing panel

19:15–20:00 Presentation of the Hessian State Prize for Universal Design

from 20:00 Evening reception