I would say it is optimistic, not out of touch. If I planned it, I don’t think I’d have trouble taking a year off every five.
As for the ‘pro bono’ aspect, it has to be if we make the assumptions that Papenek did. His assumptions were that the kind of designs that would really elevate people’s standard of living in the developing world are never going to be done because the people in need don’t have the money to pay for it. Furthermore, he assumed that these people in need were lacking design in order to truly solve their problems. Looking back, I would say he’s right on the first part and wrong on the second. However, I’m sure I would have fully agreed with him in 1971.
Lastly, he was an advocate for a certain kind of change. As such, he overstated things. That’s what advocates do.
From everything else that I’ve read and seen he seemed like a very creative designer and someone who got a lot of difficult projects done. That’s what makes me pay attention.