Designing for Democracy

Designing for Democracy addresses the question of how to “fix” digital technologies for democracy by examining how the design of the built environment (whether streets, sidewalks, or social media platforms) informs how, and whether, citizens can engage in democratic practices. “Democratic spaces”—bu...

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मुख्य लेखक: Forestal, Jennifer
स्वरूप: Online
भाषा:अंग्रेज़ी
प्रकाशित: Oxford University Press 2025
विषय:
ऑनलाइन पहुंच:https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/104454
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author Forestal, Jennifer
author_browse Forestal, Jennifer
author_facet Forestal, Jennifer
author_sort Forestal, Jennifer
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Designing for Democracy addresses the question of how to “fix” digital technologies for democracy by examining how the design of the built environment (whether streets, sidewalks, or social media platforms) informs how, and whether, citizens can engage in democratic practices. “Democratic spaces”—built environments that support democratic politics—must have three characteristics: they must be clearly bounded, durable, and flexible. Each corresponds to a necessary democratic practice. Clearly bounded spaces make it easier to recognize what we share and with whom we share; they help us form communities. Durable spaces facilitate our attachments to the communities they house and the other members within them; they help us sustain communities. And flexible spaces facilitate the experimental habits required for democratic politics; they help us improve our communities. These three practices—recognition, attachment, and experimentalism—are the affordances a built environment must provide in order to be a “democratic space”; they are the criteria to which designers and users should be attentive when building and inhabiting the spaces of the built environment, both physical and digital. Using this theoretical framework, Designing for Democracy provides new insights into the democratic potential of digital technologies. Through extended discussions of examples like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, it suggests architectural responses to problems often associated with digital technologies—loose networks, the “personalization of politics,” and “echo chambers.” In connecting the built environment, digital technologies, and democratic theory, Designing for Democracy provides blueprints for democracy in a digital age.
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spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1632462025-07-30T18:00:39Z Designing for Democracy Forestal, Jennifer democratic theory, digital technology, architecture, design, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, social media, affordances, built environment, democratic politics thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities Designing for Democracy addresses the question of how to “fix” digital technologies for democracy by examining how the design of the built environment (whether streets, sidewalks, or social media platforms) informs how, and whether, citizens can engage in democratic practices. “Democratic spaces”—built environments that support democratic politics—must have three characteristics: they must be clearly bounded, durable, and flexible. Each corresponds to a necessary democratic practice. Clearly bounded spaces make it easier to recognize what we share and with whom we share; they help us form communities. Durable spaces facilitate our attachments to the communities they house and the other members within them; they help us sustain communities. And flexible spaces facilitate the experimental habits required for democratic politics; they help us improve our communities. These three practices—recognition, attachment, and experimentalism—are the affordances a built environment must provide in order to be a “democratic space”; they are the criteria to which designers and users should be attentive when building and inhabiting the spaces of the built environment, both physical and digital. Using this theoretical framework, Designing for Democracy provides new insights into the democratic potential of digital technologies. Through extended discussions of examples like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, it suggests architectural responses to problems often associated with digital technologies—loose networks, the “personalization of politics,” and “echo chambers.” In connecting the built environment, digital technologies, and democratic theory, Designing for Democracy provides blueprints for democracy in a digital age. 2025-07-30T18:00:38Z 2025-07-30T18:00:38Z 2025-07-29T07:39:27Z 2021 book https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/104454 9780197568750 9780197568767 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/163246 eng open access image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/104454/1/9780197568774_WEB%20%281%29.pdf Oxford University Press 10.1093/oso/9780197568750.001.0001 10.1093/oso/9780197568750.001.0001 db4e319f-ca9f-449a-bcf2-37d7c6f885b1 5f7c166f-60eb-4325-82c5-7d2456c5ab6a 1bfbfd27-ef09-4f37-a182-97305b97757d 9780197568750 9780197568767 233 Oxford Loyola University Chicago LUC 10.13039/100007656 open access
spellingShingle democratic theory, digital technology, architecture, design, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, social media, affordances, built environment, democratic politics
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities
Forestal, Jennifer
Designing for Democracy
title Designing for Democracy
title_full Designing for Democracy
title_fullStr Designing for Democracy
title_full_unstemmed Designing for Democracy
title_short Designing for Democracy
title_sort designing for democracy
topic democratic theory, digital technology, architecture, design, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, social media, affordances, built environment, democratic politics
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities
topic_facet democratic theory, digital technology, architecture, design, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, social media, affordances, built environment, democratic politics
thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBS Social groups, communities and identities
url https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/104454
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