Biomimicry design thinking education: a base-line exercise in preconceptions of biological analogies

Preliminary empirical research conducted by the leading author has shown that design students using biological analogies, or models across different contexts, often misinterpreted these, intentionally or unintentionally, during design. By copying shape or form without integrating the main function of the mimicked biological model, students...

Considering the human-dimension to make sustainable transitions actionable

Sustainable innovation and transitions are increasingly gaining traction within academia, industries, and policymakers. Despite the research efforts, sustaining innovation and operationalizing transitions still remains a barely explored field. The pragmatic step from understanding towards doing is often not made explicit in the literature. In...

On transforming transition design: From promise to practice

We are living in transitional times. Much has been under debate on the need to change and to cope with societal transitions, less emphasis, however, is devoted on how to do so. Therefore, one of the primary questions in Transition Design is how to design for sustainabilitytransitions? The current work aims to evaluate ‘transition design studies’...

Future options for sewage and drainage systems three scenarios for transitions and continuity

The challenge of sustainable development requires cities to aim for drastic improvements in the systems that support its vital functions. Innovating these systems can be extremely hard, and might take lots of time. A transparent and democratic strategy is important to guarantee support for change. Such a process should aim at developing...

Open Innovation Strategies for Sustainable Urban Living

Cities are increasingly seen as having an important role in tackling societal challenges related to climate change, while open innovation is increasingly accepted as a new way of working for governments. In the current work, we explore the role of open innovation to tackle global challenges on a city level. In the context of the city of...

Co-Creation Dynamics in Urban Living Labs

Citizens and urban policy makers are experimenting with collaborative ways to tackle wicked urban issues, such as today’s sustainability challenges. In this article, we consider one particular way of collaboration in an experimental setting: Urban Living Labs (ULLs). ULLs are understood as spatially embedded sites for the co-creation of...

Ten types of emerging city makers

Strategies for food longevity

Although food has been circular by nature, the current food supply chain has turned into an unfortunate linear system. The challenges of transitioning towards a sustainable food eco-system requires radical changes and new perspectives, where things are done differently. Starting with related work in the field of design for product longevity, the...

System integration: Condition for success. The case of Hammarby Sjöstad and Eva-Lanxmeer

Today, many new urban areas, such as cities, towns, villages, or districts, are being built worldwide and their completion requires the development of a number of infrastructures. Traditionally, these infrastructures are planned in parallel. However, increased environmental awareness is pushing cities to improve their environmental performance....

Systems integration: Condition for success. The case of Hammarsby, Sjöstad and Eva-Lanxmeer

Today, many new urban areas, such as cities, towns, villages, or districts, are being built worldwide and their completion requires the development of a number of infrastructures. Traditionally, these infrastructures are planned in parallel. However, increased environmental awareness is pushing cities to improve their environmental performance....

What has to be learnt for sustainability? A comparison of bachelor engineering education competences at three European universities

In a period of harmonisation of the higher education system in Europe, a question is if also learning about sustainability at the universities is converging and what advantages this may have. This paper is an effort to present and advance the work on describing desired sustainability competences for engineering Bachelor graduates in three...