Design for the Good Society

This book is the culmination of ten years of critical reflection on engaged design and the relation between design and society. The publication marks the conclusion of five editions of the Utrecht Manifest, the biennial event dedicated to the social aspects of design, which was launched in 2005. It also outlines an agenda for the future on the basis of those biennials. One of the éminences grises when it comes to thinking about social design, Victor Margolin, investigates how design is linked with power, economic development and social debate. In interviews with the architect duo Brillembourg/Klumpner, design activist Alastair Fuad-Luke and philosopher of technology Pieter Paul Verbeek, the theory of social design is held up against the often intractable practice.