Design actions with resilient local communities: Goals, drivers and tools

Since resilience is identified as the capacity of communities and institutions to manage environmental, economic and social urgencies in a good and innovative way, design research and actions create the right conditions to engage resilient processes. This paper is about the critical readings of some research projects developed at the Design Department of the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) through goals, drivers and tools presented as relevant for design actions with resilient local communities.Keywords: design tools, local communities, resilience

Design actions with resilient local communities: Goals, drivers and tools

Since resilience is identified as the capacity of communities and institutions to manage environmental, economic and social urgencies in a good and innovative way, design research and actions create the right conditions to engage resilient processes. This paper is about the critical readings of some research projects developed at the Design Department of the Politecnico di Milano (Italy) through goals, drivers and tools presented as relevant for design actions with resilient local communities

Exploring Circularity Toolkits for SMEs Learning Ecosystems

This research explores the role of Circular Design and education in facilitating the transition to a Circular Economy for SMEs and start-ups. Despite accessible resources in Circular Design, the extent of their adoption by businesses—and e specially SMEs, who face resource limitations and lack scientific access—remains uncertain. Circular Design operates at a systemic level, requiring consideration of economic, social, and environmental aspects in innovation processes. This study analyzes existing tools and their alignment with SME needs, identifying critical areas for Circular Design adoption. The analysis reveals an emerging and diverse set of resources supporting circular transitions. Learning Ecosystems for the Circular Economy are characterized by multi-sectoral partnerships, flexible learning approaches, and digital advancements. Three key directions emerge for developing Learning Ecosystems: assessing companies’ circular maturity, integrating circular design into company culture, and fostering collaboration with innovation ecosystems. In conclusion, this research lays the groundwork for implementing targeted Learning Ecosystems to advance circularity within SMEs, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and innovative approaches in circular innovation

Teoria/Pratica. Dialoghi sul Design per i Territori 01

il Network di Ricerca "D4T - Design for Territories" del Dipartimento di Design del Politecnico di Milano ha condotto un ciclo di focus group con l’obiettivo di attivare la discussione e il confronto sulla tematica del Design per i Territori. I focus group sono concepiti come momenti informali di impostazione critico-problematica, con l’obiettivo che diventino attivatori di un successivo dibattito allargato e condiviso. Il primo focus group, tenutosi presso il Dipartimento di Design del Politecnico di Milano il 23 settembre 2016, ha affrontato il tema del rapporto tra Teoria e Pratica cercando di rispondere ai seguenti interrogativi: il progetto di design per il territorio ha un fondamento teorico o è un ambito di applicazione di una prassi progettuale? È il risultato di una riflessione critica (pratica riflessiva o practice-based theory)? L’obiettivo è stato quello di ragionare sulle basi teoriche della disciplina, facendo riferimento anche ad esperienze di ricerca e di didattica. Gli ospiti invitati al primo focus group sono stati: Vincenzo Cristallo (Università La Sapienza Roma); Ares Kalandides (inpolis Berlino); Federica Olivares (City Innovation Lab); Raimonda Riccini (Università IUAV Venezia); Beatrice Villari (Politecnico di Milano)

Shifting Design Thinking to a Circular Design Perspective: Reframing the Process of Circular Innovation

Design Thinking (DT) is a valuable design innovation approach, but its application in addressing sustainability challenges within the Circular Economy (CE) paradigm requires a revision from a circular innovation perspective. This article explores the convergence, limitations, and potential of DT and CE, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive circular and systemic evolution of DT. Frameworks, objectives, and strategies for achieving sustainable design goals through DT are discussed, with an emphasis on integrating DT with the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) to enhance systemic perspectives and sustainability considerations. The integration of DT with Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI) is also highlighted, emphasizing a systemic thinking approach. Case studies demonstrate the application of DT principles in Circular Design ideation and development, showcasing tools that promote a systemic thinking approach to address sustainability challenges effectively. This article introduces the ongoing CD-TOOLS project, which includes a training program and digital platform supporting Lithuanian entrepreneurs and design professionals in creating circular product-service solutions. The project’s contributions to addressing the identified limitations and promoting sustainable design practices are discussed

Co-creating social and sustainable innovation in makerspaces and fab labs. Lessons learnt from the SISCODE European project

“Making” and the Fourth Industrial Revolution have been extensively investigated in the last few years. Several pieces of research have been carried out on the topic of fab lab networks and makers movements; in many cases, these studies highlighted problems of their economic sustainability, stressing -however- their cultural-related role. Nowadays, it is evident that Makerspaces and Fab Labs do not only produce physical goods, but they also develop knowledge and relationships, which are expressed through physical productions and activities. The European Union has been particularly interested in the study and development of innovative ecosystems, which might serve as levers for sustainable growth, because of their focus on co-creation and the involvement of different groups of stakeholders. SISCODE Horizon 2020 project was developed according to this European requirement. Within the SISCODE project, a co-creation methodology for societal challenges was proposed and tested throughout ten pilot projects carried out by Living Labs, Science Museums and Makerspaces, and Fab Labs. In this paper, we are going to present the three pilot projects developed by three Makerspaces and Fab Labs (Polifactory (Milan), Maker (Copenhagen), and Fab Lab Barcelona) and discuss main insights on co-creation practices

Co-designing a walkable city for the elderly through system thinking approach

This paper is based on a research project carried out in the Metropolitan Area of Milan, which looks at cities of the future as highly populated by long-living active people and characterized by innovative technological facilities. The project is conducted based on a multidisciplinary research approach with the goal of studying how to enhance the elderly’s walking activities in urban environments. The whole process has applied the system thinking approach to actively engage participants (senior citizens) and stakeholders in all the research steps. Findings have revealed the presence and absence of hardware and software of urban environments in terms of walkability for the elderly. The research concludes with a reflective definition of walkability parameters emphasizing the soft aspect and a systemic design guideline for future development

Collectively Designing Social Worlds. History and Potential of Social Innovation

What are the social facts that led to the need to activate social innovation processes? What is (and what can be) the role of design in these processes? The challenges of modernity and post-modernity have led designers to become often protagonists and activators of sustainable and social innovation processes, possible thanks to users' and stakeholders' involvement in co-creation processes. This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to eviscerate social innovation as a concept with its foundation in theoretical, political, and methodological domains. The present discussion will be based on sociology and design. The first will mainly define the theoretical framework of reference; the second will mostly deal with experimental and applied research dealing with social innovation