ABSTRACT

This research paper addresses the differences in skills, mindsets, and approaches of various agents of transition in the context of environmental sustainability. Acknowledging that there a multitude of agents at play along the continuum of professional and “citizen” designers, this research aims to bring together various practices in an ecology of transition practices (Stengers, Di Salvo). This research articulates creates a habitat for expert and diffuse designers (Manzini, 2015) into a collaborative, pluriversal approach to treat the complex condition of sustainability as a means of avoiding the hubristic designer-ly tendency to approach ‘wicked problems’ with a short-sighted solutionism. The research also reflects the shifting role of professional designers as ‘experts’ to convenors, network weaves and enablers of other modes of designing.

TOPIC STATEMENT

This title reflects the breadth of people who are working towards a more sustainable future from professional Transitions Designers to collectives of passionate citizens in grassroots activist movements. The generalist term ‘agents of transition’ recognises a wider variety of instigators who all pay a part in designing our future beyond ‘design-led’ change programs that come together to form an inclusive and pluriversal approach as part of an ecology of transition practices.

NOTE — I’m in the process of moving my exegesis to live on this site permanently. The rest will be on here shortly.