This paper draws from cross-disciplinary literature on the topic of citizenship to argue for a polity approach in the planning and design of public space. New institutional and social formations in the public sphere are highlighted to reconsider the aims of participation. Three models of democratic design are presented to contrast types of political choices made by urban designers. A transit plaza renovation project is used as an illustrative example to consider how operative practice can facilitate changes in social and institutional relations. In the conclusion, the implications for a polity approach in urban design are discussed.

The prime task of democratic politics is not to eliminate passions from the sphere of the public, in order to render a rational consensus possible, but to mobilize those passions towards democratic designs. (Chantal Mouffe, 2000)