This book directly links the notion of the commons with different design praxes, and explores their social, cultural, and ecological ramifications. It draws out material conditions in four areas of design interest: social design, commons and culture, ecology and transdisciplinary design. As a collection of positions, the diversity of arguments advances the understanding of the commons as both concepts and modes of thinking, and their material translation when contextualised in the domain of design questions. In other words, it moves abstract social science concepts towards concrete design debates. This text appeals to students, researchers and practitioners working on design in architecture, architecture theory, urbanism, and ecology. 

This volume of the "Delft School of Design" series focuses on the South African urban context, seeking to construct a contemporary critical dialogue of current spatial practices in relation to social, political and governance structures. The contributors-academics, urban historians, architects, policy makers-reflect on the possible paths forward. The book is divided into thematic sections: "Other Urbanisms," "Tradition, Culture and Education," "Urban Design, Civic Action and Agency in South Africa" and "Future Perspectives."

This book directly links the notion of the commons with different design praxes, and explores their social, cultural, and ecological ramifications. It draws out material conditions in four areas of design interest: social design, commons and culture, ecology and transdisciplinary design. As a collection of positions, the diversity of arguments advances the understanding of the commons as both concepts and modes of thinking, and their material translation when contextualised in the domain of design questions. In other words, it moves abstract social science concepts towards concrete design debates. This text appeals to students, researchers and practitioners working on design in architecture, architecture theory, urbanism, and ecology.

This book represents the fruits of a year-long forum carried out in the Delft School of Design. Gathered from renowned visiting scholars, faculty members and doctoral candidates who contributed to workshops, seminars and lectures, the essays offer insight on urban processes and the aesthetic challenge for contemporary design in relation to image, technology and life sciences. Contributions include discussion on the structure of the network city; the virtual emergence and resilience of contemporary urban place in the context of Beijing; and a study of Nowa Huta, Poland.