As part of its 2026 Festival, DesignPhiladelphia presents A People’s Philly, a collaborative public exhibition and programming project grounded in spatial imagination as a political practice.
At its core, it invites viewers to consider how collective care might transform the city and the possibilities we envision for its future.
Design Philadelphia invokes the exhibition’s influences and goals:
“A People’s Philly approaches design not as a neutral or technical exercise, but as a political and ethical practice grounded in accountability and solidarity. It asserts that more just spatial futures are not produced through abstract planning or isolated authorship, but through collective struggle, care, study, and collaboration. The exhibition uses speculation to question what is, while opening space for what might be possible.”
Organized by the Spatial Justice Collective, a group of faculty, alumni, and students at the University of Pennsylvania, the project was developed as a collaboration with the Philly Peace Park, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, DesignPhiladelphia, and the Human XR Lab at Universidad del Atlántico Medio.
A People’s Philly will be on view from Oct. 1 through Oct. 11 at VIA.
Accompanying the exhibition is a workshop, taking place on October 8 from 4pm - 5:30pm, followed by a reception from 6pm to 8pm.
Read more about DesignPhiladelphia’s 2026 festival
Location
Village of Industry & Art (320 S. Broad)
Click here for more info on visiting the Village of Industry & Art
