Design and Social Responsibility

The idea that designing and building the physical environment carries social and ethical responsibilities is not new, but since the building boom of the early 21st century and subsequent market crash, there has been a growing discussion of socially responsible design.

Socially responsible design goes by a number of names (including Design Activism, Public Interest Design, Human-Centered Design, Social Impact Design, Social Design) and has not been formally defined, but it is generally characterized by attitudes that value justice, equality, participation, sharing, sustainability, and practices that intentionally engage social issues and recognize the consequences of decisions and actions.

Socially responsible design is an attitude that emphasizes the needs and experiences of people over concerns of form or aesthetics.

Socially responsible design may grow out of a radical (Marxist, feminist, queer) perspective that critiques conventional practice and current socio-spatial conditions—as well as the underlying systems of commodification, subjectification, and exploitation—and seeks alternatives that are more just, accessible, and equitable.

Socially responsible design may come out of a humanist perspective that emphasizes the cultural value and meaning of places, idealizes democratic civic engagement, and welcomes utopian visions of alternative socio-spatial futures.

Most often there is not a strong theoretical orientation to socially responsible design. Rather it develops through trying to solve everyday problems or address local needs. This pragmatic approach often recognizes the constraints of time, money, evaluation, and engagement, but seeks to find ways to address specific needs and create better socio-spatial relationships.

In the context of contemporary neo-liberal capitalism, socially responsible design practices most often survive as institutionally supported programs. They often emerge as small-scale individual or collective efforts to address local needs and concerns.

Socially responsible design is not new

Socially responsible design practices can be traced back at least as far as the Industrial Revolution when designers and theorists such as William Morris and John Ruskin were responding to the socio-spatial conditions they perceived. In her research, historian Delores Hayden traces a number of socio-spatial alternatives that were developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the efforts undertaken as part of New Deal policies in the 1930s can be considered socially responsible, and the 1960s saw a flourishing of alternative practices and environments.