The Theory and Practice of System D and Urban Moonlighting

Text: Gergely Hory

System D Academy and the Téreltérítés Workteam. Photo: Gergely Hory

Surviving day by day, grey zones, informal networks and moonlighting. Examining these concepts, projects concerning public domains were made by participants of the international workshop titled [Fusi]city-Fix Budapest! The programme itself is a result of close co-operation between the System D Academy (as part of the Amsterdam-based Sandberg Instituut) and a team named Téreltérítés Workteam during the Design Week in 2014. Throughout his research work Robert Neuwirth observed that the activities of illegal markets, street vendors, black and grey zones are far from being random: actually, they are highly developed self-organizing systems that can quickly adapt to ever changing needs and follow unwritten laws. This is System D. The expression is primarily used in former colonies of France in Africa and the Caribbean whereby the economic and social reality of the inhabitants are reflected. The letter ‘D’ stands for débrouillard here which is used to describe witty, inventive and clever people. This article below provides readers insights into the practice of „moonlighting research”.