Active, Local, Connected: Strategic and Methodological Insights in Three Cases

Abstract

The activity of design is rooted in the very first part of the history of the industrial revolution. In the past century, designers invented new products, sometimes introducing substantial social or technical innovation; in other cases, they contributed to improving the aesthetic or technical quality of existing products or materials. Their role has been essential in the definition of an industrial model based on large production volumes for broad markets, but they have also contributed to the maturation of such a model toward sophisticated production platforms and product architectures, which allow industrial production to customize solutions for smaller target groups. Design’s contribution has been to help define the social and economic role of industrial production in modern society—to the point that it has sometimes been seen as one of the key factors influencing the identity of the culture and the image of a country. When industrial production models—and the development model they supported—have been identified as one of the most critical nodes in the question of sustainability, designers have been seen as part of the problem and perceived the urgence to change their perspective, methods, and role. Because of the public perception of design action, which associates design with material and large-scale production, and because of the urgency of the question of sustainability, the choice for designers is either to embrace and cultivate new perspectives for their work or to be marginalized as secondary actors in the development of more sustainable strategies. The former implies that designers reframe their skills and competencies in view of a sustainable perspective. The second case, while not requiring significant changes in the design profession, implies that designers will not be able to seize the opportunities offered by the broad socioeconomic change suggested by the question of sustainability. The debate over sustainability within the discipline of design in the past decades can be framed within two general parameters. The first addresses the question of “what to do.” This question refers to the definition of strategies for improving the environmental efficiency of our production and consumption system. The second addresses the question of “how to do it.” This question refers to the definition of a methodological approach that supports an effective implementation of sustainable strategies. The present historical