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Re-evaluating Egalitarian Design in Contemporary Danish Society
Baughman, Alice
Baughman, Alice
Abstract
This study examines the discourses and practices of egalitarian architecture in contemporary Denmark. Denmarkâs long standing comprehensive welfare system promotes, for all citizens, equal access to education, healthcare, and public services, and other opportunities. Similarly, its own brand of socially progressive, egalitarian architecture encourages spatial designs intended for use by all people regardless of social disparities. Drawing on a range of sources from government documents to architectural magazines to design projects themselves, this study defines the historical development of this discourse going back to Modernist and Functionalist movements in the 1930s. By revealing the cultural and demographic assumptions on which socially responsive design projects are based, it reevaluates egalitarian architectural discourse. The projects examined in this study suggest the design field is evolving to include growing groups like the aging generation more effectively than the immigrant population. Ultimately, the study argues that the challenges Danish design practitioners and policymakers face in addressing the needs of their increasingly multicultural population stem from a residual cultural inclination that favors sameness and equality over the recognition of differences.
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2024-05-01
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Art and Art History