Interdisciplinary Education and Community Engagement
At the Zentrum für Nachhaltige Wirtschafts- und Unternehmenspolitik (ZNWU) at Hochschule Darmstadt – University of Applied Sciences, research and teaching are closely connected to questions of democratic participation, public value, and sustainable governance. In a time of increasing social polarization and declining trust in political institutions, strengthening democratic competencies and community engagement is a core concern of sustainability-oriented public management.
Within the Public Management research area at ZNWU, Prof. Friederike Edel contributes to interdisciplinary approaches that link academic research, teaching, and democratic practice.
The “Source” Project – Co-Designing Democracy in Practice
A central example of this engagement is the “Source” project, which was presented as part of the World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026 programme “Design for Democracy.” The project was developed at Hochschule Darmstadt – University of Applied Sciences and brings together students and faculty from public management, design, and related disciplines.
The project addresses fundamental questions such as how democratic participation can be strengthened at the local level, how communities can collectively shape societal processes, and how interdisciplinary education can contribute to resilient democratic cultures.
Students worked closely with municipal actors and citizens in locations including Messel, Dannenrod, and Eltville, engaging directly with local challenges. Through participatory workshops and co-creation formats, they developed concrete outcomes such as communication concepts, feasibility studies for community-based digital tools, and ideas for public spaces shaped together with residents.
Only through teamwork and collaboration between different faculties can the problems of tomorrow be solved: This is the most important message of the “Source” project developed by Friederike Edel, Professor of Public Management, Werner Stork, Professor of Organisation and Management, and Sabine Winkler, Professor of Industrial Design (from left) at h_da. The ideal platform for this dialogue is the game “Spiel der Gesellschaft” (“Society Game”) based on an idea by student Moritz Reutner.
Universities as Spaces for Democratic Experimentation
The project reflects a shared understanding within ZNWU and the Public Management research area: universities are not only places of knowledge production, but also spaces for democratic experimentation and societal learning.
By embedding teaching and research in real-world contexts, students learn to engage with diverse perspectives, navigate institutional complexity, and translate democratic values into practical solutions for public governance.
Contribution to Sustainable Public Management
The “Source” project illustrates how research and teaching in public management can contribute directly to democratic resilience. Democracy is approached not as an abstract concept, but as a lived and practiced process shaped through participation, dialogue, and collaboration.
Through her involvement in this interdisciplinary initiative, Prof. Friederike Edel, as a member of the ZNWU Public Management research area, strengthens the centre’s commitment to sustainability-oriented public policy, participatory governance, and socially embedded research.
