Design as Activism in Helsinki
Notes from the World Design Capital 2012
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12922657 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eeva Berglund (0000-0003-0269-562X, University of Helsinki, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 195-214 |
| Publication date | 2013-06-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Design and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1754-7075 • E-ISSN: 1754-7083 |
| Publisher | Routledge (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.2752/175470813x13638640370779 |
| OpenAlex | W1523441539 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 13 |
This article sketches out the emergence of an activist mode of design in the Finnish capital, Helsinki—a phenomenon that became particularly apparent during the city's year as World Design Capital in 2012. It gives examples of design activism, paying attention to their different political positionings in the contemporary landscape of urban change-making. It shows that design becomes entangled in problematic ways with official urban policy, even as it fuels an exciting and popular “urban vibe.” The article adopts an anthropological sensitivity to context, highlighting Finland's heritage of consensus politics and design's historical role in fostering national identity and supporting industry. In this light, the current embrace of activist design in Helsinki, from DIY culture to government policy, becomes both understandable and more open to critical reflection. The suggestion is that, as part of urban policy, alongside creativity, innovation, and participatory decision-making, design should also be subjected to deep and consequential critique
Art · Capital (architecture · Citizen journalism · Civil engineering · Context (archaeology · Creativity · Government (linguistics · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Urban design · Urban planning · Urban politics · Visual arts · Creativity in Education and Neuroscience · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Engineering · History · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction · Law · Public Administration
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Design Anthropology
The International Handbook of Environmental Sociology
Rethinking Design Thinking
Interrogating post-democratization
Anthropological Relocations and the Limits of Design
Branding and Belonging
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |