Design thinking for the everyday aestheticisation of urban renewable energy

Abstract

Renewable energy infrastructures are becoming increasingly present in our environments, inevitably shaping the urban experiences of the everyday person as they move through the city. The profound impact these infrastructures have on social worlds has yet to be explored, with contemporary renewable energy discourse primarily focussing on the techno-economic. We argue for the everyday aestheticisation of renewable energy infrastructures, and how design thinking might offer a way forward in co-creating future meaningful experiences with renewable energy. We offer a collaborative design thinking workshop on the speculative experimentation of energy futures as a case study. The findings provide multi-scalar insights on exploring urban energy futures with citizen-designers – with aesthetics and lived experiences as central. • Everyday aesthetics in design thinking promotes the inclusion of citizen-designers. • Collaborative design thinking offers opportunities for creative serendipity. • Aesthetic emergence occurs through embeddedness within a local context. • Lived experiences influence the everyday aestheticisation of renewable energy. • Design thinking complements the governance and planning of renewable energy.