Delft Design for Values Institute focuses on Design for Justice in 2023-2024

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During this Academic Year, the Delft Design for Values Institute organizes various events and activities on designing for the value of justice. With this Annual Theme, the DDfV-institute aims to increase the awareness on this value and how it can be used in the design process of science and technology. This will be done by increasing our knowledge of justice through events, research and education.  

Why Justice?

The 21st century is characterized by rapid change and fast paced technological development. Countries are facing economic, social, political and environmental challenges, people are migrating to megacities, natural resources are becoming increasingly scarce, and changes in the global climate are becoming intensely palpable. Important developments in science and technology offer hope, but also bring a lot of questions and possible inequalities. Therefore, if we want to use these new technologies for the better, we should design them with values, and justice is one of the most crucial values to address.

The moral value of justice highlights the importance of rethinking design and engineering processes, often inspired by experiences from marginalized people. The value of justice is important to almost everyone but might mean different things to different people.

For example, social justice relates to a fair distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within society. Individual rights should be recognized and protected, regardless of race, gender, or religion. Another example is environmental justice, where environmental injustice is addressed. This occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and land uses from which they do not benefit, or when future generations are confronted with the negative consequences of current choices, as in the case of climate change.

What kind of activities can be expected?

Throughout the year, several workshops aimed at different application fields will be organized. During these sessions academics, policy makers, practitioners and other important actors will discuss the value of justice in that field. These workshops are free and open to everyone.

A few members of the institute have already started writing a White Paper on Designing for Justice. In this White Paper, the definition of justice and its connections to designing technologies will be highlighted. In addition, conclusions from the workshops will be included to give an overview of the different aspects of justice in various application fields. The paper will also contain recommendations on how to include design and justice in teaching, research, policy and how to include the society and the public and some new design approaches for justice. The White Paper will be presented during the Delft Design for Values Symposium.

In January, a Theses Awards for the best theses that address the topic of design for justice will be launched. After two selection rounds the final winners will be chosen by a special jury at the Share Fair in June. The institute encourages submissions from all disciplines.

All these activities will accumulate in the Share Fair: Design for Justice. As noted earlier, the White Paper will be presented here, and the winner(s) of the student competition will be selected. Key experts will be invited to shed their light on the value of justice within the design processes of technologies. We will also reflect on the outcomes of the workshops and pay attention for application fields that were not highlighted earlier.

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The Annual Theme is coordinated by a workgroup from members who have a special interest in Justice and support staff of the institute. Top-row: Cynthia Liem, Nynke van Uffelen, Edo Abraham, Fernando Del Secomandi and Ibo van de Poel. Bottom row: Marielle Feenstra, Roberto Rocco, Marina Bos-de Vos and Ivo Kostons.