Open 15 Social Engineering

Over the last decade people have been becoming increasingly sceptical about the philosophy of social engineering, the pursuit of a society that is methodically planned and organized. The philosophy of social engineering has been contested as an aggressive and disastrous belief in the utopias of the Age of Reason, one that degenerates into a destruction of culture and nature while fostering totalitarian modes of thought. However, certain philosophers and designers have at the same time been questioning whether or not 'makeability' is a precondition for fulfilling the human desire for organizational forms and interventions that guarantee a congenial coexistence. The utopically or indeed economically tinted social engineering proposals of the 19th and 20th centuries have thus been superseded by a belief in the counteracting force of the world's relative makeability. Proceeding from the emancipatory prospects offered by new philosophies of social engineering, the authors endeavour to formulate a tactical, political or activistic response to the prevailing neoliberal and neoconservative trends.
This edition of Open investigates current manifestations of the philosophy of social engineering in relation to urban space and living (together) within it. Which ideologies form the driving force behind the design and control of urban social spaces today? What attempts are being made to engineer citizenship within that space?