This document discusses the author's reliance on their personal car for transportation and how this creates an unsustainable "footprint problem". The author notes that using a personal car relies on fossil fuels, requires significant resources to support automobile infrastructure, and uses a large amount of energy to transport just one person. The author analyzes their car usage as a "design problem" that could potentially be solved by creating more sustainable vehicles or transportation methods. However, the author acknowledges that a massive redesign of both technologies and infrastructure would be needed to make transportation truly sustainable.

1. A “FOOTPRINT PROBLEM”
AS A DESIGN PROBLEM
Dupuis
Soc 115

2. My footprint problem
 My car as my main method of transportation
 Use of fossil fuels is unsustainable
 Resources used for infrastructure to
support automobile transportation
 Incredible amount of energy for
transporting one person
 Amount of energy/materials going into
the making and distribution of
automobiles

3. “Sensemaking” a design problem
 Anticipating  Reflection
 use of my personal car creates  Feeling of frustration when using
my expectations for other modes mass transit
of transportation  Amtrak delays
 Transportation system is designed  Unfriendly passengers
to favor automobiles over mass  Cost vs. benefit
transit  Automobile transportation as the
 Connecting only easy method
 Feeling of freedom associated  Appropriating
with automobiles  Disappointment/frustration when
 Social aspects: the road trip idea without a car
 Interpreting  Recounting
 The design of more sustainable  Never hear positive stories of use
transportation methods does not of mass transit
meet my expectations or provide  Only non-negative stories: random
the same connections people/events

4. What kind of design problem?
 My use of cars as my main method of transportation is
a design problem because, theoretically, sustainable
automobiles or sustainable transportation methods
could be created
 The design problem lies mainly in the use of fossil fuels
 Even the most fuel efficient vehicles are unsustainable under
current conditions
 Productionof vehicles using many metals, woods, and
petroleum products is also unsustainable
 The majority of car parts are not typically recycled to my
knowledge

5. A Redesign to solve my problems
 The unsustainable use of resources for transportation
requires a massive redesign of both technologies and
infrastructure
 Technologies
 Engines using sustainable fuel or sustainable batteries
 Non-petroleum based products for tires, plastics, etc.
 Infrastructure
 Roads must be redesigned
 Even if all cars were sustainable, travelling would be impractical with
ever-growing population and limited space
 Refueling
 Some sort of battery changing / hydrogen refilling / sustainable
fuel selling business model must by designed and put in place all
throughout the world