How often do you feel unsafe in Dutch society? When, and where, and with whom?
The answer will be different for everyone. After the reports about the violent deaths of multiple women over the last months, different opinions about how to solve or prevent violence have come up. For instance, some think that “vulnerable” people should adjust their behavior (don’t bike at night in dark places). Or no, there should be more police on the streets. Or better yet, there should be more street lights and cameras. Politicians should do more. Punishments should be harsher. Men should talk to each other about their behavior more and be less macho.
Lots of opinions. Mostly though, we just continue with our lives and not much seems to change, even after such tragic events.
How would you go about it? What, to you, are the underlying reasons for (let’s be honest, mostly male) violence in society? Can it be curbed? And specifically, what role does technology play? Can a city or public space be designed to make everyone safe? Can crime and violence be somehow eradicated? Is this something we can engineer top down, with a systems approach and big tech/ big data handling? Or is violence something that we can never banish from existence, no matter how hard we try?
Join me as we discuss what it means to be safe, and whether or not we can achieve it. Bring your wildest ideas.
EXISTENTIAL TUESDAYS
Existential Tuesdays are small weekly* lunch discussions in the Nook of the TUD Library. Practice your critical thinking skills, learn to see the world from different perspectives, and hang out with your fellow deep thinkers in Delft.
Interested in other events in the Nook? Sign up for the newsletter to find out what else we’re planning.
* no sessions during exam weeks or study weeks
Explore SG’s related events this quarter on the theme: (Re)Claiming Space
How does design—of streets, campuses, digital platforms, or lecture halls—shape who belongs and who does not? And what happens when we use these spaces to speak out, resist and make ourselves seen? When presence turns into protest, these spaces become political.
In this series, we explore how political spaces come into being: why they matter, how they are designed, and how they might be redesigned. SG invites designers, philosophers, activists, and students to explore how we might design for difference.
9 September 12:45 | Existential Tuesday: Is everything political for Gen Z? @ TUD Library, The Nook
16 September 12:45 | Existential Tuesday: How do you claim space? @ TUD Library, The Nook
23 September 17:00 | Is the campus designed for protest? @ TUD Library Hall
1 October 12:45 | Current Affairs Lunch Lecture: Male Violence Against Women @ TUD Library, Orange Room
8 October 16:00 | Driving societal change through inclusive STEM research processes and outcomes @ TUD Library Hall
13 October 19:00 | Critical Mass: Woke Design @ Theater de Veste
15 October 16:00 | ‘Flying Solo’ Opening Reception @ TUD Library Hall
13 November 12:45 | Kiting Huddle: Write for the Wind @ TUD Library, Blue Room & the Greenroof
4 December ttba | Non-humans and public space @ TUD Library Hall
