Introducing the Civic Design Framework: Principles for public conversations during a time of crisis

The Civic Design Framework full report: http://bit.ly/CDF_021721

Democratic processes in the United States are failing to support inclusive and deliberative public conversations, challenge marginalization, and accommodate an increasingly complex public. We struggle to know how to talk to each other.

The Civic Design Framework has two components: Conversation Types and Design Principles. Voting is a manifestation of democracy - the real work lies in the conversations that the public has before it votes. These conversations should be situated in appropriate context, supportive of participants of different abilities, and center justice. The Civic Design Framework unpacks six conversation types and eight design principles for effective engagement.

The policy brief features design tools (the “Civic Design Matrix” and the “Civic Spinner”) that can help practitioners apply the Civic Design Framework, and shows the Framework in action through three case studies.

We Who Engage MIT, formerly The Move, is a movement to transform our democracy’s civic infrastructure. The team is led by Professor Ceasar McDowell, a professor of civic design and associate dean at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

Take a look at the full report here: http://bit.ly/CDF_021721