Civic City Cahier 2: Design and Democracy

Rejecting the economically narrowed neoliberal definition of democracy, Gui Bonsiepe claims for the potential of design to promote democracy. Design and Democracy introduces a concept of design activities which aim to interpret the needs of social groups and to develop viable emancipative proposals in the form of material and semiotic artifacts. This short text is accompanied by an interview with the author and a reprint of early 1970s material from Chile.


The Civic City Cahier series intends to provide material for a critical discussion about the role of design for a new social city. It publishes short monographic texts by authors who specialise in urban and design theory and practice.