At a time when the global growth economy and its consequences for humans and the environment mean we are facing an existential threat, the concept of social design has never been more important.

During the time it took me to write a book and prepare an exhibition on the subject, the international political situation changed in a way I did not think possible. Look at the United States, Syria, Myanmar, the Mediterranean or Chemnitz in Germany; at the upsurge in populism, nationalism, racism and isolation. We are confronted daily with political decisions that take no account of our environment, climate or limited resources, and many people are rightly concerned about their future.

For this reason, as in past times of crisis, there is much discussion about developing an open and cosmopolitan social culture and redesigning social systems and working and living conditions in a way that bears in mind their implications for the world as a whole.

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