Why ‘bravery’ is a crucial prerequisite for ‘safety’. (Or: Why I hope you feel a little uncomfortable with my new project.)

The moment is here. The project that has consumed blood, sweat, and plenty of theoretical tears over the past few months is about to go live: Brave Spaces.

Let’s be honest: ‘Safe Spaces’ are wonderful. We need them. But if we want to grow, if we truly want to change how we live together in public spaces, then ‘safety’ is sometimes just a little too comfortable. In those moments, we don’t need cushions—we need a mirror.

That is why we are introducing the Brave Space.

Fueled by liters of coffee, stacks of papers (thank you, Arao & Clemens, for the term ‘controversy with civility’), and intense sessions with Bas-Jan Kielstra, Lieke Gensen, Karien Dommerholt (Witteveen+Bos), Sasha Pasman (Municipality of Deventer), and my internal partners-in-crime from the Smart Cities research group—Mettina, Anouk, Timothy, Mark, and Christien—we have built something that isn’t designed to please. It is an agonistic design.

So, what does that mean? In the central hall of Saxion in Deventer, you won’t find a cheerful promotional video. Instead, you’ll find an intervention designed to create friction. It’s called: ‘Clash with Us!’.

We are using a Citizen Dialogue Kit (a fancy word for: a box with a questionnaire), but with a twist. We decided that filling out a survey about safety and livability in public spaces on your own is useless. You already do enough polarizing alone behind your screen.

No, our questionnaire must be done in pairs. You have to engage in dialogue. Face to face. With someone who might fundamentally disagree with you.

The goal? Not to reach an agreement. But to learn to lean into the discomfort. To discover that ideas can clash without us having to bash each other’s brains in.

That is where the magic lies. Not in the silence of being right, but in the noise of our differences.

I find it quite exciting, and nerve-wracking at the same time. What if it creates too much friction? Or none at all? But then again, if it wasn’t nerve-wracking, we would have called it a ‘Comfort Space’.

From Monday onwards, the intervention will be in the central hall of Saxion Deventer. Bring your opinions, but leave your thin skin at home.

#BraveSpaces #AgonisticDesign #SocialDesign #Saxion #WitteveenEnBos #DareToClash #CitizenDialogue