suburbs surrounding the western states

hmm, what do you mean by democratic design? I don't think I've heard the term before.

to best define it in a sentence: a series of smaller pieces, working together as a whole.

Are you thinking something along the lines of the shipping container craze? Or the Metabolists?

Ted Kaine, who writes Polar Intertia, gave this great talk at Postopolis last year about a large "city" in, I believe it's Arizona, where tons of RVs show up. Sort of a do-it-yourself urbanism where people barter, trade war stories, & share satellite TV connections. I guess I'm talking more here about mobile urbanism than democratic design. It does seem to go with your idea of smaller pieces working together as a whole.

Are you thinking more on a policy level?

I agree that you might need to be more specific as to what you mean or intend with the term democratic design.

This could be a study of democracy in terms of freedom, and equlity into the design process (user groups, design by committee, integrated design process etc..)

This could be a more formal study of democratic spaces and the power associated. (legislative, civic squares, agora, public space in general).

It might help to say what you are reading on democratic design to get some context to the topic.

i have this book, and it is quite interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/Camp-David-Srdjan-Jovanovic-Weiss/dp/0557046394/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264789469&sr=8-1

it's from this research studio at Temple, and they do quite a bit of research on the political implications of the design.

i would be very interested to hear more about your project...

smaller pieces of what? like, small, separately designed elements that are used in tandem, like the utensils in your kitchen drawer? or individualized components that are combined into a new entity, like transformers?

I honestly don't know what you're talking about. Please elaborate.

I thought 'democratic design' might refer to community design...

i think what you are referring to is what professionals in amerika refer to as assembly areas.

hmmm...assembly areas. Like high school gyms! some of the least democratic spaces I can remember!

multi-purpose rooms maybe.

How about this precedent. This is from the University of Sao Paulo designed by Vilanova Artigas (Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da USP)

I'm intrigued by this and disappointed that probono never came back and fostered the discussion. You could probably get some great ideas from the archinect members if you came back and explained a bit more...! I do want to know what 'democratic design' refers to.

so... bump.