Abstract
In this paper, I suggest that there is an urgent need to design new spaces and possibilities for democratic participation. With inspiration from the tradition of “adventure playgrounds”, I argue that play design can contribute to expanding the participatory repertoire within deliberative democracy. Two design experi-ments are presented and discussed through the prism of self-determination the-ory and the findings point to a new understanding of democratic participation and the intrinsic, civic motivation that drives it. By shifting focus from the classi-cal deliberative ideals of rational discourse towards sensorial, open-ended explo-ration and creation, new democratic possibilities emerge. It is argued that such opportunities can foster a sense of collective joy, which is seen as vital to healthy democratic societies.
Keywords
play design, participatory speculation, democratic participation
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.679
Citation
Poulsen, M. (2022) The junk playground as agora: Designing spaces to re-invigorate democratic participation, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June - 3 July, Bilbao, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.679
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Research Paper
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The junk playground as agora: Designing spaces to re-invigorate democratic participation
In this paper, I suggest that there is an urgent need to design new spaces and possibilities for democratic participation. With inspiration from the tradition of “adventure playgrounds”, I argue that play design can contribute to expanding the participatory repertoire within deliberative democracy. Two design experi-ments are presented and discussed through the prism of self-determination the-ory and the findings point to a new understanding of democratic participation and the intrinsic, civic motivation that drives it. By shifting focus from the classi-cal deliberative ideals of rational discourse towards sensorial, open-ended explo-ration and creation, new democratic possibilities emerge. It is argued that such opportunities can foster a sense of collective joy, which is seen as vital to healthy democratic societies.