1. Adaptive Capacity: Design as a Societal Strategy
for Designing ‘Now’ and ‘Co-futuring’
Design Activism
Luke
Where Goes The Daily
ID 501 Advanced Project Development in Industrial Design
Middle East Technical University, Department of Industrial Design
Alastair Fuad-
Mert Kulaksız
4.03.2014

2. Maverick, solo designer or co-designer?
‘Heads are round so that thoughts can change direction.’
Francis Picabia
“…design‟s supreme role has been, and continues to be, about
giving form to the concurrent industrial, consumer and
information economies, all connected within a greater globalized
economy. Design makes the material forms of these economies
culturally acceptable.”(pp. 187)
information
economy
industrial
economy
consumer
economy
globalized economy
currently design to form these economies

3. INTRODUCTION
“This is not to say that design has been devoid of altruism for
broader societal concerns. Nor has design totally ignored the
effect of its materialized outcomes on nature. Yet, as we look at
man-made artefacts, the built environment, and the
manufacturing and public infrastructures, we are gazing on an
aesthetic that represents collectively endorsed visions of „beauty‟
verified as economically viable.”(pp. 187)
Many other visions of beauty simply do not make it to reality
because they do not meet with the current culture of economics.
“We need a new vision of beauty – we could call this
beauty, „beautiful strangeness‟”(pp. 188)

4. INTRODUCTION is
A Beauty that
-
-
unusual
intrigue
with full of newness
appeals to innate sense of curiosity
more than skin deep
envisioned, planned by society, not just by big business and
governments
serving and healing society‟s divides( around
wealth, health, education, access to digital and other
technologies)
adaptable to future
not „de-futuring‟
slowing down the economy and putting our energies into other
societal values and measurables
That is why design needs to take on a more activist role on behalf
of society/ societies and the environment.

5. HPI is a measure of ecological efficiency delivering human well-being.
Happy Planet Index (HPI)
=
Life Expectancy X Life Satisfaction
Ecological Foot Print
New Economic Foundation

6. Anticipating Democracy and
“Countries at the top of the list may surprise: first is Vanuatu,
the pacific island state, second is Colombia and third is
Costa Rica, all blessed with good ecological capacity
and populated with contented, long-lived peoples”
“Clearly material development and wealth do not
necessarily equate with subjective notions of a good or
better life. Significantly, the NEF reports also indicate
that higher social capital tends to exist where life
satisfaction is highest.”
“Building social capital and improving human well-being
are therefore two mutual ambitions for design activism”

7. THE CREED OF PROGRESS
Climate change will drive a dramatic reevaluation of local and regional biotic(living)
assets because existing patterns of
agriculture, water use, human habitation
and biodiversity will change with rising
global temperatures.

8. THE CREED OF PROGRESS”
“Most countries will have to deeply
consider their food, energy and water
security in a more uncertain world”
Plans for urban rooftop farming by
William McDonough for China.
.
www.mcdonoughpartners.com

9. THE CREED OF PROGRESS”
Cuba experienced radical shifts in land ownership,
societal organization and application of
.
permaculture design thinking to reduce
dependence on external synthetic inputs
and by regenerating using nature‟s
own ability to maintain levels of fertility.
www.conspiracywiki.com

10. THE CREED OF PROGRESS”
.
www.en.Wikipedia.org
BedZED, Beddington Zero Emission Development,
new expressions in visions of productive urban
Landscapes.

11. CONCLUSION are perceived by the public as possessing „natural‟ creativity
Designers, like artists,
and the boundary between these two creative agencies is pretty blurred.
The vagueness with which the public perceive designers may be an advantage to
the maverick, solo designer who wishes to gain the attention of the public by an
act of design activism, since such an activity would be expected of artists.
Each designer may find some projects are more easily pursued solo, whereas
others are better suited to more participatory, co-design modes of work. For
designers that already hold an „iconic‟ status in the profession, and with a wider
public, they may bring effective leverage to solo maverick and participatory design
projects.

12. Suzi Gablik, in her book The Re-enchantment of Art, „calls for an
end to the alienation of artists and aesthetics from social values
in a new interrelational, audience-oriented art‟.25 In the same
way, design needs to enjoin with active citizens to co-create and
co-design the new „now‟, the counter-narrative that points to a
new directionality, towards sustaining that which genuinely
sustains.
We need a participatory democracy and proper spaces for it.

15. CONCLUSION
Taking these living and past traditions suggests the notion of a
new democratic space for design. Let‟s give it the designation
„MootSpace‟ where every citizen (and citizen designer) knows
their voice will be heard.(pp. 200)
“Whatever form the „MootSpace‟ takes it should be a space that the
group or community „owns‟, one where they can comfortably discourse
and co-design their „now‟ and their future. Perhaps this is one arena
where design activism will gather momentum to deliver participatory
democracy, human flourishing and ecosystem renewal.”(pp. 200)

16. INTRODUCTION
Could „accessibility to digital and other technologies‟ be a good
concern for our project.
How can the socially responsible design and its benefits can be
made visible, to make them preferable.
Can a digital platform provide a proper space like „Mootspace‟
can do.
„…towards sustaining that which genuinely sustains.‟ What types
of tools can be provided to society to evaluate the genuineness of
Governments and big businesses.