Design for Common Good Needs Some Ground Rules - The Need for Ethical Design Pedagogy.

Date: 
2021

Design as Common Good / Framing Design through Pluralism and Social Values, Swiss Design Network Symposium 2021, Conference Proceedings. Edited by Massimo Botta and Sabine Junginger. pp. 748-762. ISBN 978-88-7595-108-5. ~ With Cheryl Giraudy

A placemaking study in Toronto, Canada is highlighting the need for Ethical Design curricula that will serve the larger context of Design for Social Good. In reviewing diverse theories for socially informed design practice, it is apparent that Ethical Design, specifically socially-engaged design, as a core value is largely absent in pedagogy, training, and disciplinary practices of designers. As new health, social, economic, and environmental realities of contemporary life develop, communities are emerging as the driving force for social change, including dismantling colonial practices that sustain inequities in the making of our material world. Who a designer is and is not, as well as what role and position a designer may hold in that material world, is in need of reframing. An Ethical Design framework for both education and practice is needed to ensure that future designers respect communities as a collaborative partner and valued design team member.</p>