Collectively Designing Social Worlds

Carla Sedini

Collectively Designing Social Worlds

History and Potential of Social Innovation

What are the social facts that led to the need to activate social innovation processes? What is (and what can be) the role of design in these processes?
The challenges of modernity and post-modernity have led designers to become often protagonists and activators of sustainable and social innovation processes, possible thanks to users' and stakeholders' involvement in co-creation processes.
This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to eviscerate social innovation as a concept with its foundation in theoretical, political, and methodological domains. The present discussion will be based on sociology and design. The first will mainly define the theoretical framework of reference; the second will mostly deal with experimental and applied research dealing with social innovation.

Pages: 134

ISBN: 9788835112761

Edizione:1a edizione 2020

Publisher code: 10319.6

Info about Open Access books

What are the social facts that led to the need to activate social innovation processes?
What is (and what can be) the role of design in these processes?
The challenges of modernity and post-modernity have led designers to become often protagonists and activators of sustainable and social innovation processes, possible thanks to users' and stakeholders' involvement in co-creation processes.
This book adopts a multidisciplinary approach to eviscerate social innovation as a concept with its foundation in theoretical, political, and methodological domains. The discussion is based on sociology and design. The first, sociology, in connection with other disciplines, such as geography and economics, mainly defines the theoretical and methodological framework of reference; the second, design, mostly deals with experimental and applied research, and it does through the presentation of research projects.
The operative definitions of creativity and innovation will be provided in order to historically and culturally frame them as foundations of the social innovation concept, which emerged and consolidated because of specific social facts and changes. A special focus on design and consumption will be provided in light of their approach to sustainability issues, looking at designers and consumers as agents of change. In the conclusions, after the presentation of two research projects, the Grounded Theory's methodological approach will be proposed as preferable in social innovation research processes; the concept of well-being scalability will be introduced; and questions will be asked about the future that social innovation co-creation processes may have in light of the recent health emergency.
In this book, sociology and design theories and methodologies are interrelated and sustain each other; for this reason, the book is particularly suitable for students, researchers, and practitioners from these two fields.

Carla Sedini is a Sociologist and Ph.D. in Quality of Life in the Information Society. She works as an Adjunct Professor at the School of Design of Politecnico di Milano, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano, and IED Milano. Since 2012 she has been mainly collaborating with the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano in several projects and research on Creative and Cultural Industries, Territorial Development, Social Innovation and Quality of Life, combining and integrating social sciences and design.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Creativity vs innovation? A matter of culture
(Individual and collective creativity; Creative and innovative cultures; Integrative thinking leading to innovation; Design thinking and Design-driven innovation)
Social innovation as a proactive approach to sustainability challenges
(How societies change; Policies of and for sustainable innovation; The urban scale of (social) innovation: the concept of resilience; Innovation' stakeholders: the social role of universities)
Designers and consumers as actors of change
(Designers for good; Practice-based Design Research and Research through Design; Innovative "consumers"; Participation "mantra": engage, empower, design!)
Carla Sedini, Laura Cipriani, Stefano Maffei, Massimo Bianchini, Mirko Gelsomini, Co-designing with vulnerable social groups: bodysound pilot project
(The social challenge; Co-designing for and with children with cerebral palsy: first round; Co-designing for and with children with cerebral palsy: second round; Co-designing for and with children with cerebral palsy: third round; Preliminary conclusions)
Carla Sedini, Xue Pei, Francesco Zurlo, Co-designing with vulnerable social groups: LON GEVICITY project
(The social challenge; Co-designing for and with senior citizens: first round; Co-designing for and with senior citizens: second round; Co-designing for and with senior citizens: third round; Preliminary conclusions)
Conclusions
References.

Contributors: Massimo Bianchini, Laura Cipriani, Mirko Gelsomini, Stefano Maffei, Xue Pei, Francesco Zurlo

Serie: Design International - Open Access

Subjects: Architecture, Design, Art, Urban and Regional Studies

You could also be interested in