Architecture and politics is the subject of the dossier prepared by Fernando Portal for this issue of Materia Arquitectura. Gui Bonsiepe examines the symbiosis between design and capitalism; his critical analysis of the responsibility of design in the weakening of the public sphere concludes with six proposals to strengthen democracy. Jacob Moore reviews the experience of the Brooklyn Center for Urban Pedagogy, a non-profit organization that uses design to improve the quality of citizen participation in urban development. Turning to the theme of work, Marion von Osten analyzes forms of independent work by artists and designers and asks whether they really represent a model that can be exploited by capital, as some government initiatives claim. Jesko Fezer, who reflects on the practice of design in the context of cities manipulated by market interests, analyzes the post-political situation of urban development and criticizes the post-planning approach. Finally, Camila Cociña reviews the student demonstrations that have taken place in Santiago in recent years, considering them as agents for the construction of a new democratic space based on development and not on the elimination of social conflicts. Finally, the graphic article by Metahaven gives us a glimpse of a dystopian reality in which design is an accomplice to future crises.

Guest editor Fernando Portal