There's No Plan(et) B. Sustainable Transitions to Systemic Planet-Centric Design

Abstract

The current environmental, social, and economic crises have laid bare the profound instability plaguing the planet and brought to light many complex situations that require urgent action. Design is called once again to reconsider, as a discipline and as a practice, its role towards society and the environment, and to redefine methods, tools, and processes to offer solutions that not only do not harm the surrounding environment, but also help heal the conflicts that affect human beings and all other beings inhabiting the planet as one living system. The goal is to promote transitions to more sustainable and circular production and consumption patterns by taking a systemic, planet-centered approach, strengthening the ethical responsibilities of design, and reaffirming its mediating role in solving the wicked problems that characterize the contemporary world. Within this framework, reflections, and experiences from the field of design research were gathered to highlight disruptions with traditional practices and possible paths of transition to alternative forms of thought and action, with the aim of addressing current crises and laying the groundwork for a more sustainable future.