HISTORY 

The Design Studio for Social Intervention was launched in 2006. Prior to that, it was incubated within the Center for Reflective Community Practice (now CoLab) in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning during the 2005-2006 academic year. DS4SI is located on Columbia Road in Dorchester and has fiscal sponsorship provided by Third Sector New England.

In this video from Justin Francese, Kenny Bailey touches on the two major events that brought him to founding DS4SI, the ideas that arose from them, and their continued impact on the Studio's work today.

MISSION

The Design Studio for Social Intervention partners with communities, artists, and social justice practitioners to imagine, demonstrate, and collectively rebuild places to be more just and vibrant.

IN PRACTICE

We function as a creativity lab for social justice work in the public sphere. The Studio is a space where activists, artists, academics and the larger public come together to imagine new approaches to social change and new angles to address complex social issues. We also design social interventions that engage populations in imagining and designing new solutions to social problems.