Consider to visit the final discussion round during the conference Regional Design: A Transformative Approach to Planning, on 2 October 2020, from 16.10 -17.00. The title of the discussion is ‘Regional Design & Democracy’. It’s topic is inspired by observations of an erosion of democratic institutions. We – organizers of the conference – share a deep concern about this development. Our initial position is that regional design – as an artistic, creative and imaginative practice – has potentialities to enhance the quality of democratic decision-making, but that these potentialities are not critically reflected, sufficiently detailed, and evidenced by empirical research. The consequent aim of the discussion is to detail propositions on how regional design can contribute to protecting and nurturing democracies. Initial and open questions are:
- What aspects of spatial planning and governance systems and cultures relate to the protection and nurturing of democracies? What aspects involve thought about artistic, creative and imaginative practice and how?
- What skills do regional designers need in order to protect and nurture democracies? How can we train these skills?
Participants of the discussion are:
- Moderator: Verena Balz, Delft University of Technology;
Discussants:
- Cristina Cavaco, University of Lisbon;
- Maroš Finka, Slovak University of Technology & AESOP president;
- Nina Alaily-Mattar, Technical University of Munich;
- Vincent Nadin, Delft University of Technology
More information about how to attend the discussion and other sessions of the conference can be found here.
