This document outlines Ezio Manzini's lecture on design in the age of networks and sustainability given in Milano on May 20, 2010. The lecture discusses how individuals and communities are inventing new ways of living more sustainably through local food networks, public spaces, social services, and digital platforms. It argues that social innovation driven by these grassroots solutions is an important driver of sustainable change. The lecture proposes that designers should take a systemic and strategic approach to co-designing tools and enabling frameworks that can replicate and scale up promising local social innovations.

1. Lens Lecture - Milano 20.05. 2010
NEXT
design in the age of networks
and sustainability
Ezio Manzini, INDACO, Politecnico di Milano

2. Savannah 6.2.2010
NEXT
good news
design in thedesigners networks
for age of
and sustainability
Ezio Manzini, INDACO, Politecnico di Milano

3. Savannah 6.2.2010
NEXT
good news
design in the age of networks
for (new) designers
and sustainability
Ezio Manzini, INDACO, Politecnico di Milano

4. 危机 crisis

5. 危 danger
机 chance
80%

6. exit strategies

7. exit strategy 1
to fix the old economy

8. exit strategy 1
to fix the old economy
exit strategy 2
to move to a new economy

9. exit strategy 1
to fix the old economy
exit strategy 2
to move to a new economy
next economy

10. a green, social,
networked economy
next economy

11. green economy
highly eco-efficient services
for a sustainable use of water, energy,
food, materials, waste and land
next economy

12. social economy
new generations of services
to face to emerging demands
and to improve social cohesion
next economy

13. networked economy
unprecedented forms of organisation,
new business models and services ideas,
de-intermediated interactions.
next economy

14. good news
for (new) designers
networked economy
unprecedented forms of organisation,
new business models and services ideas,
de-intermediated interactions.
next economy

15. next
The next economy is not an utopia.
It is here today, growing in the
framework of the old economy.
What we have to do is to recognize it
and to chose what we want to do.

16. next
signals
of a possible sustainable future

17. signal n°1
individuals and communities
are inventing new ways of living

18. food and agriculture

19. farmer markets

20. food coops

21. urban farms and gardens

22. urban farms gardens

23. community-supported agriculture

24. community-supported agriculture

25. food and agriculture
local, de-intermediated
food networks

26. cities and public spaces

27. ?
neighbourhoods festivals

28. neighbourhood care

29. neighbourhoods gardens

30. neighbourhood restaurants

31. cities and public spaces
local and open initiatives
for public space renewal

32. welfare and social services

33. elderly self-helping communities

34. elderly self-helping communities

35. student residence at home

36. cluster 2 o 3
nurseries at home

37. welfare and social services
collaborative services
for an active welfare

38. signal n°2
digital platforms become
catalysers of social resources

39. aggregate for social action

40. smart mob

41. mutual help circles

42. time/competence exchange

43. products/places sharing

44. digital services/platforms
connecting communities,
bridging virtual and
physical spaces

45. people inventing
new ways of living

46. people inventing
new ways of living
creative communities

47. people inventing
new ways of living
creative communities
promising cases
of social innovation

48. social innovation
“Social innovation.
New ideas that work in
meeting social goals”
The Young Foundation, Social Silicon
Valleys. A Manifesto for Social
Innovation, 2006

49. social innovation
social innovation
“… another wave of social innovations is
underway in the 2000s as the power of
the Internet and the global media is
harnessed to causes such as world
poverty and environment”
(The Young Foundation, Social Silicon Valleys. A
Manifesto for Social Innovation, 2006 )

50. social innovation
social innovation
“the financial and economic crisis makes
creativity and innovation in general, and
social innovation in particular, even more
important to foster sustainable growth…”
( Barroso, UE President, 2.1.2009 )

51. social innovation
social innovation is starting to be
recognized as a major driver of
sustainable changes.
this topic is mainly treated adopting
managerial and policy makers
languages.

52. social innovation
social innovation is starting to be
recognized as a major driver of
sustainable changes.
this topic is mainly treated adopting
managerial and policy makers
languages. a design approach
is needed too

53. design for
social innovation

54. what to design?
social innovation
“The idea is simple: to find the most effective
programs out there and then (provide the
capital needed to) replicate their success in
communities around the country that are
facing similar challenges”
to design
enabling systems
(Michelle Obama – White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic
Participation 05.05.2009)

55. example
community-supported agriculture

56. example

57. every week...

58. …we order organic food…

59. …and the local farm delivers it…

61. sometimes on the weekend…

62. …we visit the farm...

65. …to see the vegetables growing…

67. we give a hand to the farmers…

69. …we eat with them…

70. … and bring back our harvest.

71. sustainable
qualities

72. food
freshness

73. healthy
week-ends

74. learning
experiences

75. friendly
relationships

76. enabling
platform

77. digital
interfaces
accessibility

78. effectiveness
logistic
services

79. face to face
interactions
trust

80. beauty
physical
services

81. new designers?

82. design for social innovation
pre-condition 1
think in a systemic/strategic way:
consider products, services and
communication as a whole; conceive and
develop systemic solutions.

83. example
urban bikes

84. moving
innovative
bike use
bike sharing systems

85. moving
BikeMi Bike sharing in Milano

86. special bikes

87. special parking
blocks

88. special paying
system

89. design for social innovation
pre-condition 2
act as co-design facilitator: use
design tools to feed the “strategic
conversation” in the co-design process.

90. visualize viable solutions

91. create solution prototypes

92. support co-design processes

93. design for social innovation
activities
co-design
tools
local
projects
framework
projects
context
improvement

94. design for social innovation
activity 1
co-design
tools tools specifically conceived
to trigger and support co-
local design processes
projects
framework
projects
context
improvement

95. co-design
tools
scenarios
ref.
EMUDE- Emerging user demands for
sustainable lifestyles
Design Research for 6th Framework program of the
European Community

96. 6 ways of doing…
5 persona
30 evolved solutions

97. co-design
tools
photo story
ref.
CCSL- Creative communities for sustainable
lifestyle
Design Research for the Taskforce on Sustainable
Lifestyles UNEP- United Nations Environmental Program

102. co-design
tools
co-design cards
ref.
CCSL- Creative communities for sustainable
lifestyle
Design Research for the Taskforce on Sustainable
Lifestyles UNEP- United Nations Environmental Program

103. co-design
tools

104. co-design
tools

105. co-design
tools

106. co-design
tools

107. design for social innovation
activity 2
co-design
tools
local
projects initiatives based social
inventions, capable to make
framework them more effective,
accessible and replicable
projects
context
improvement

108. shared rooms
Housing
New Community Housing is characterised in the lodging market by a common place and people organising a certain level of collective
housing to support sharing, mutual help or collective projects

109. shared rooms
Housing
New Community Housing is characterised in the lodging market by a common place and people organising a certain level of collective
housing to support sharing, mutual help or collective projects
cases of innovative residential
sharing, worldwide

110. shared rooms
Housing
New Community Housing is characterised in the lodging market by a common place and people organising a certain level of collective
housing to support sharing, mutual help or collective projects
cases of innovative residential
sharing, worldwide
co-housing.it
cohousing in Milano

111. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

112. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

113. housing / sharing
people and
motivations

114. housing / sharing
shared
services

115. housing / sharing
green
management

116. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

117. processes and difficulties are analyzed
shared Solutions
visions definition Planning
Meeting Activation Co-design Realization
steps in the co-housing building process

118. enabling solutions are defined
1. digital platform
to support a large
community of
interest
conceiving the solution components

119. enabling solutions are defined
1. digital platform 2. real estate team
to support a large to find suitable areas
community of and solve related
interest problems
conceiving the solution components

120. enabling solutions are defined
1. digital platform 2. real estate team 3. community building
to support a large to find suitable areas to help the group to
community of and solve related arrive to a shared idea
interest problems on what to do
conceiving the solution components

121. enabling solutions are defined
1. digital platform 2. real estate team 3. community building 4. co-design team
to support a large to find suitable areas to help the group to to support the group in
community of and solve related arrive to a shared idea co-designing the shared
interest problems on what to do services
conceiving the solution components

122. a large “community of interest”
is built potential co-housers
express their interest

123. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

124. concept co-
development

125. co-housers community building

126. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

127. an agreement is signed …

128. … the building phase can
start!

129. enabling solution development
Step 1: research of similar cases
Step 2: enabling solution definition
Step 3: co-design process
Step 4: project realization and management
............................................................................
Step 5: new product development

130. multi-user domestic
appliances

131. design for social innovation
activity 3
co-design
tools
local
projects projects and programs that
coordinate and direct a
variety of self-standing local
framework projects
projects
context
improvement

132. Parco Sud Milano

133. problem: rural areas near the cites are under the
pressure of the urban sprawl
Parco Sud Milano

134. problem: rural areas near the cites are under the
pressure of the urban sprawl
EXPO 2015 Milano
“Food and sustainability”
Parco Sud Milano

135. planning by projects
step 1: local resources
step 2: promising cases
step 3: scenario and strategy
step 4: self-standing proposals
step 5: co-design processes

136. Traditional|industrialised agriculture
Parco Sud Milano

137. Historical water-channels
Parco Sud Milano

138. Traditional and old farmhouses
Parco Sud Milano

139. planning by projects
step 1: local resources
step 2: promising cases
step 3: scenario and strategy
step 4: self-standing proposals
step 5: co-design processes

140. observation: social innovation in food systems is
showing a variety of promising solutions.

141. observation: social innovation in food systems is
showing a variety of promising solutions.
farmer markets
purchasing groups
community vegetable gardens
community-supported agriculture

142. planning by projects
step 1: local resources
step 2: promising cases
step 3: scenario and strategy
step 4: self-standing proposals
step 5: co-design processes

143. strategy: the proximity between farms and the
city can be turned in an advantage considering its
potentiality in terms of “zero-miles” food and
tourism
the pre-condition for developing this strategy
is to develop a multifunctional farming
Parco Sud Milano

144. design proposal: co-creation of a new vision (a
new idea of agricultural park) and 7 initiatives to
support multifunctional farming and local tourism.
Parco Sud Milano / Cascina Forestina

145. design proposal: co-creation of a new vision (a
new idea of agricultural park) and 7 initiatives to
support multifunctional farming and local tourism.
designer role: to facilitate
the new vision co-creation
and define the concepts of
the 7 supporting projects.
Parco Sud Milano / Cascina Forestina

146. planning by projects
step 1: local resources
step 2: promising cases
step 3: scenario and strategy
step 4: self-standing proposals
step 5: co-design processes

147. 7 self-standing projects
to connect farmers and citizens
digital platform
common brand
farmer market purchasing group food boxes
visitor centre rural centre horticulture urban agriculture
Parco Sud Milano

148. Farmers’ Market
Parco Sud Milano

149. Green Purchasing
Parco Sud Milano

150. Food Subscription
Parco Sud Milano

151. Horticulture
Parco Sud Milano

152. Visitors’ Centre | Park Point
Parco Sud Milano

153. planning by projects
step 1: local resources
step 2: promising cases
step 3: scenario and strategy
step 4: self-standing proposals
step 5: co-design processes
work in progress...!

154. a new vision of city/farm relationship
new food communities

159. design for social innovation
activity 4
co-design
tools
local
projects
framework communication and network
building to promote and
projects sustain the diffuse social
innovation and the related
context design activities
improvement

160. conclusions…

161. to build a sustainable
future means to use at best
the Planet resources
80%

162. to build a sustainable
future means to use at best
the Planet resources
in a small, densely populated,
highly connected planet,
80%
social resources are
the most abundant ones

163. to build a sustainable
future means to use at best
the Planet resources
in a small, densely populated,
highly connected planet,
80%
social resources are
the most abundant ones
design can help

164. DESIS.
an international network
on design for social innovation
and sustainability.
desis-network.org

165. DESIS Network / international
DESIS-Europe
DESIS-USA
DESIS-Middle East DESIS-China
DESIS-India
DESIS-Colombia
DESIS-Brazil
DESIS-South Africa
DESIS-Australia
DESIS-Local Networks DESIS-Local start-up
DESIS-Local Projects

166. Thanks!
sustainable-everyday.net
desis-network.org