Contextualised science and technology policies : the need for articulation of need

Science and technology can play a key role in contributing to the sustainable development of developing countries. However, research has failed to relieve the problems of Southern communities and to respond to the needs of its poor. There is the need to develop holistic and contextualised science and technology policies in the South, which respond to the social, cultural, political and economic environment and reflect the demands and priorities of various stakeholders. Recognising the inequalities present in developing countries, this thesis addresses the need to ensure the articulation and inclusion of the needs of poor in S&T policy making. The thesis explores how contemporary conceptualisation of knowledge production may contribute to more context-sensitive S&T policy making in developing countries and strengthen its relevance towards meeting the needs of the poor. It argues for the need for flexible and networked approaches to knowledge production, and for recognition of the way social processes include and exclude the articulation of needs

The tree as method: co-creating with urban ecosystems

Participatory design is based on the idea that those affected by a decision should get the opportunity to influence it. Addressing the imperative of climate change and the complexity of sustainable urban development requires collaboration and co-creation across disciplines, sectors and systems. Nonhuman participation and the innovation potential in designing with nature and integrating a concern for social, technical and natural systems do however remain underexplored. In this explorative short paper, we ask what it would take to take the needs of nature seriously, and to co-create with urban ecosystems. Taking street trees as examples, we discuss and reflect on what trees as participants might imply and open up for. We do that according to five fundamental aspects of participatory design. Pointing out directions for future research, we propose taking "the tree as method" as entry point for multi-actor explorations of the challenges and opportunities of street transformation across social, technical and ecological systems.