Design intervention and behaviour change: Implications for inclusive public design to promote sustainable behaviour

Abstract

Sustainable behaviour is the basis of social and environmental sustainability. In everyday practice, public facilities can play an important role in promoting such behaviour. Determining how city users understand and use public facilities is crucial to design for sustainability. Drawing on the literature on behavioural change, this study investigates the relationship between design interventions and user behaviour through an analysis of everyday life scenarios in open spaces. Taking public design in Guangzhou, China as a case study, the study examines how intervention strategies affect behaviour through public facilities. We explore how these effects vary with intervention intensity and how city users respond accordingly. The study develops a framework to illustrate the relationship between behaviour change and design intervention, which reveals that changes to user behaviour can be realised through several approaches, depending on the level of intensity of the intervention. The study also analyses each type of intervention based on the dimensions of effectiveness and user acceptance. Finally, from the perspective of inclusiveness, design interventions should be multidimensional and integrated to help achieve long-term sustainability.