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This paper introduces the use of design to improve noticing skills in order to address environmental issues at a variety of physical and temporal scales. We illustrate the application of ‘design for noticing’ through Biodiversity Logbooks – a pilot project intended to reduce ‘plant blindness’ amongst primary school children. Plant blindness is the inability to recognise, appreciate and value plants and it has far reaching social, environmental and economic implications. In this project, we designed pedagogical tools and processes to foster the skills of noticing plants in their environments, and connecting the small-scale of their individual features to large-scale systems. Biodiversity Logbooks was designed in collaboration with primary school staff. We present initial lessons learnt from our work to support the delivery of specialist content and to create activities that can be embedded in the curriculum for the long term.

Design for sustainability aims to improve conditions within social, ecological, and technical domains by reconsidering how these domains relate to each other. However, the disciplinary conventions of design lack a practical framework for studying entangled relations between humans and nonhuman entities. For addressing this gap, the thesis explores the concept of relationality that emphasizes the interconnected wellbeing of human and nonhuman entities through kombucha fermentation practices. Due to touted health benefits of fermented kombucha tea, the practice of brewing kombucha has been shared among people and becoming more popular in recent decades. Within the thesis framework, the symbiotic relations among microbial and human bodies during kombucha fermentation served as a stage for recognizing the interconnectedness of human and non-human wellbeing. Interviews with kombucha brewers, a remote collective fermentation workshop, and a design probing activity provided insights into the relations between humans and microbes in the fermentation practices. The concept of relationality and the acquired insights about kombucha fermentation practices informed alternative ways of relating to nonhuman beings. Recognizing relationality opened a reflexive space for reconsidering everyday activities and understanding the 'interconnectedness between humans and others.' The sensory experience and embodied knowledge informed the emergence of relational ethics within human-microbe relations in kombucha fermentation practices. The learnings on human-nonhuman relationality aimed to enrich the discussions in design for sustainability by providing concepts and intuitive tools for exploring social-ecological entanglements.

Emerging organizational forms of Public Sector Innovation (PSI) labs utilizing design-led approaches have spread globally in the past decade. PSI labs are set up with the aims of responding to rapid changes in societies by applying these approaches to the design of public policy and services. Public sector innovation is a relatively recent area of practice and research, and empirical research with cases of PSI labs focusing on the beginning stages of the innovation cycle is currently growing. However, there are a limited number of case studies of national-level labs, particularly in the Aotearoa New Zealand context. This thesis presents a qualitative case study on the phenomena of public sector innovation labs situated within the area of public sector innovation research. The case explores the Service Innovation Lab, which operated as a cross-sectoral government initiative between February 2017 and June 2020 in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand as part of wider public sector efforts for integrated citizen-centric digital services. One of the goals of the thesis is to gain a better understanding of the current state of design-led PSI labs as a phenomenon through a literature review, supplemented by expert interviews and site visits to labs. The main research component of the thesis explores the challenges with the case Lab and its design-led innovation approach to public services through the perceptions and responses of those closely involved in the case through nine semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analyzed along with supporting internal organizational documentation through reflexive thematic analysis. The main systemic challenges to innovation in the public sector context were identified as structures of accountability alongside organizational culture and personnel mindsets all reinforcing each other. A challenge unfolding uniquely to the case was changing Lab identity, including aspects of te ao Māori [the Māori worldview]. Two broader categories

China has experienced rapid economic growth over the past four decades at a significant environmental and social cost. Sustainability at the national level has been progressed by the government with the intention of balancing the development of economy, environment and society. Meanwhile, the improvement in life quality at an individual level has also triggered the emergence of sustainability as a notion in the popular imagination. Understanding the public attitudes towards sustainability is conducive to promoting the thinking and practice of sustainability among citizens. However, how sustainability is understood by Chinese citizens remains uncertain. This thesis explores how citizens comprehend sustainability in the Chinese context, characterizing the status quo of sustainability understanding, and investigating its formation. For exploring the status quo of sustainability understanding, an online survey was conducted using a snowball sampling method based on the personal social network of author. Data from 272 respondents (mainly university students and graduates, distributed throughout China) are analyzed. It helps to address the lack of research into the popular understanding of sustainability in China. Based on its findings, it is argued that the understanding of sustainability in a Chinese context tends to take on the characteristic of being driven at the macro-level and environmentally centered. In term of giving an explanation of the formation of the status quo, this thesis argues that Chinese distinctive sociopolitical factors can be considered as the primary driver of impacting sustainability understanding among citizens, based on the research on sustainability progress and governance logics in China. The research finds that, in Chinese circumstances, citizens tend to comply with and follow the governance due to continuous socioeconomic development led by the authority, aligning individual development with orientations of governments, meanwhile underratin

Design is becoming increasingly important in the public sector and governmental organisations. In the past few years our welfare states have come to a turning point; left with fewer and poorer tax payers, states are expected to be more effective with less resources. In an attempt to ease the challenged welfare states, the public sector is urging the creative sector to develop solutions. In this thesis, I explore design possibilities in the public sector. In particular, the possibilities and challenges that exist to influence the public sector within the context of local employment services in the municipality of Sipoo, Finland. This thesis consists of a background study on service design and employment services as well as a case study with the municipality of Sipoo and its employment services. Through my background research, I describe service design and the multiple possibilities it can pose in the public sector. In addition, I explain the current employment services at a national and municipal level and present the relationship between the unemployed jobseekers, the officials and the administration as a whole. Through the case study, I examine what challenges the unemployed jobseekers face as well as what needs and dreams they have concerning employment services. During the case study, I organized interviews and workshops with unemployed jobseekers as well as municipal and national service providers. Through my research I found specific challenges and issues that should be taken into better consideration before designing and developing the employment services further in order to achieve holistically more sustainable employment services. According to my research, the terminology, to how unemployed jobseekers are referred, should be considered more closely. There is more room for transparency in the services offered to the unemployed jobseekers who feel that the services are inaccessible. In addition, services should be more supportive and tied to a local context. F, Muotoilusta on tulossa yhä tärkeämpää julkisen sektorin ja julkishallinnon organisaatioissa. Viime vuosina hyvinvointivaltiomme ovat kohdanneet kääntöpisteen; veronmaksajien määrä on supistunut ja köyhtynyt, samalla valtioilta odotetaan enemmän tehokkuutta vähemmillä varoilla. Hyvinvointivaltioden haasteita helpottaakseen julkinen sektori toivoo luovia ratkaisuja. Tässä progradussa tutkin muotoilun mahdollisuuksia julkisella sektorilla. Keskityn muotoilun asettamiin mahdollisuuksiin ja haasteisiin erityisesti Sipoon kunnan työllisyyspalveluissa. Tämä tutkielma koostuu palvelumuotoilun ja työllisyyspalveluiden taustatutkimuksesta sekä yhdessä Sipoon kunnan kanssa tehdystä tapaustutkimuksesta. Taustatutkimukseni kautta kuvailen palvelumuotoilua sekä sen moninaisia mahdollisuuksia, joita se avaa julkiselle sektorille. Lisäksi esittelen tämänhetkiset valtakunnalliset ja kunnalliset työllisyyspalvelut ja kuvaan työttömien työnhakijoiden sekä palveluiden tarjoajien suhdetta. Tapaustutkimukseni kautta tarkastelen työttömien työnhakijoiden kohtaamia haasteita, tarpeita ja unelmia työllisyyspalveluita koskien. Tapaustutkimukseni aikana järjestin haastatteluja sekä työpajoja niin työttömien työnhakijoiden kuin kunnallisten ja valtakunnallisten palveluiden tarjoajien kanssa. Tutkimukseni kautta löysin tiettyjä kohtia, joihin olisi hyvä kiinnittää huomiota ennen työllisyyspalveluiden edelleen suunnittelua ja kehittämistä, jotta palveluista saataisiin kokonaisvaltaisesti kestävä. Tutkimukseni mukaan olisi tärkeä kiinnittää huomiota tapaan, jolla työttömiin työnhakijoihin viitataan. Jotta palveluista, joita työttömille työnhakijoille tarjotaan saataisiin paremmin saavutettavia, on palveluiden läpinäkyvyyttä tehostettava. Lisäksi, palveluiden pitäisi tarjota enemmän tukea ja olla sidottu paikalliselle tasolle. Lopuksi ehdotan Sipoon kunnalle seuraavia askeleita, joita se voisi ottaa kuullakseen paremmin työttömien työnhakijoiden äänen. Tärkeimpänä ehdotuksena on työttömien työnhak

This thesis explores alternatives to economic growth in the forest-dependent region of Kainuu, Finland through the lens of speculative design futures. Resource extraction through forestry and forest ownership have been crucial to Kainuu’s development, but the region is undergoing shifts and challenges in being economically productive amidst uncertainty in commodity markets, climate change, biodiversity loss, an aging population and urbanization. The conversations around these challenges tend to prioritize economic justifications for increasing resource extraction in forests design socio-ecological impacts. Furthermore, polarization of forest discourses has made it difficult to move towards action due to conflicting perspectives, politics and value systems related to forests and their usage. The thesis unpacks how the prioritization of economic growth creates unsustainable and disconnected material cultures as sites of resource extraction, flow/trade, and consumption are so globalized. This raises questions about what sort of livelihoods, forest-human connections and possibilities for reconnections between rural/urban material cultures are possible and desirable. As a designer, I wanted to explore how speculative approaches might expand possibilities and increase openness to multiple alternative values and place-based approaches. I propose that exploring alternative models of living and working can open up more possibilities for forest ecosystems and the communities that depend on them to thrive and adapt to a rapidly shifting world. In considering how such transitions will have to confront and likely co-exist with hegemonic systems of capitalism and economic growth imperatives, my goal was to enable multiple ways of knowing, being in, with and for forests. To achieve this, speculative scenarios were developed through a process of expert interviews, analysis and development. This resulted in the creation of three scenarios of speculative futures detailing possible fo

Human actions in the past centuries, along with global population growth and urbanization, have caused drastic changes in social-ecological systems, resulting in extensive sustainability challenges. Cities, as major living environments for people, can act as vehicles and platforms for positive change, while nature could provide knowledge and inspiration for design strategies and applications. This thesis presents the framework of regenerative design as the basis for future urban development in which sustainability could be re-imagined to a net-positive symbiosis between humans and nature. Being an emergent phenomenon, the thesis focuses on creating a clearer understanding of the concepts of regenerative design and development through a literature review. It also tries to interlink the ideas of regenerative design into urban ecological planning and design by locating elements, strategies, and approaches that could support and enhance regenerative urban development. On the practical level, the thesis examines if implications of regenerative design exist in the scene of urban planning and design in Helsinki through a case study with document analysis and qualitative thematic interviews focused on the development of Kruunuvuorenranta district. Although several regenerative approaches were recognized and supported, the study showed that the commitment to choose sustainability over other goals needs enhancing at different levels. While the actors involved in planning, designing, and constructing the City of Helsinki were keen to enforce sustainability efforts, there is a lack of common goal and applicable actions. Also, the organizations and processes of the development projects are not tuned for reaching sustainability and a holistic approach is needed. Overall, a mindset change required for regenerative development seems to be the greatest obstacle. The thesis contributes to the prevailing discussion of sustainable urban development, trying to recognize how it could be, Ihmisen toiminta viime vuosisatojen aikana, maailmanlaajuisen väestönkasvun ja kaupungistumisen lisäksi, on johtanut rajuihin muutoksiin sosioekologisissa järjestelmissä, aiheuttaen laajoja kestävyyshaasteita. Kaupungit kasvavina elinympäristöinä voivat toimia positiivisen muutoksen välineinä ja alustoina, kun taas luonto voi tarjota tietoa ja inspiraatiota suunnittelustrategioille ja -ratkaisuille. Tämä opinnäytetyö esittelee uudistavan suunnittelun perustaksi tulevaisuuden kaupunkikehitykselle, jossa kestävyydellä tarkoitetaan nettopositiivista symbioosia ihmisten ja luonnon välillä. Koska kyseessä on nouseva ilmiö, opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on luoda selkeämpi käsitys uudistavan suunnittelun ja kehityksen käsitteistä kirjallisuuskatsauksen avulla. Sen lisäksi työ yrittää yhdistää uudistavan suunnittelun ajatukset ekologiseen kaupunkisuunnitteluun paikallistaen elementtejä, strategioita ja käytäntöjä, jotka voisivat tukea ja parantaa uudistavaa kaupunkikehitystä. Käytännön tasolla työssä tarkastellaan, löytyykö nykyisestä Helsingin kaupunkisuunnittelusta merkkejä uudistavasta suunnittelusta. Menetelmänä on käytetty tapaustutkimusta, jossa uutta Kruunuvuorenrannan aluetta tarkastellaan asiakirja-analyysin ja laadullisten teemahaastattelujen avulla. Vaikka Helsingin nykyisessä kaupunkisuunnittelussa hyödynnetään useita yksittäisiä uudistavan suunnittelun käytäntöjä, tutkimus osoitti, että sitoutuminen kestävyyteen kokonaisuutena tarvitsee vahvistusta useilla eri tasoilla. Vaikka kaavoituksen, suunnittelun ja rakentamisen parissa vaikuttavat toimijat olivat halukkaita tukemaan kestävää kehitystä toiminnassaan, yhteinen yhteiskunnallinen tavoite ja soveltuvat ratkaisut puuttuvat. Lisäksi kehityshankkeiden organisaatiot ja prosessit eivät ole viritetty kestävän kehityksen tavoitteluun, ja kokonaisvaltainen näkökulma puuttuu. Kaiken kaikkiaan, uudistavan kehityksen suurimpana haasteena näyttää olevan ajattelutavan muutos. Opinnäytetyö osallistuu vallitsevaan kestävän k

The societal role of universities and scientific research is being challenged by a new paradigm of knowledge production. Established structures and procedures are being pressured to reconfigure, facing the need to account for increasingly contextual, heterogeneous, transdisciplinary, and socially robust knowledge (Gibbons et al., 1994; Nowotny et al., 2001, 2003). Demand for reflexive and integrated research approaches has become more relevant in the face of global sustainability issues. Consequently, in many academic contexts, interest in multi-disciplinary collaborations is increasing. Among them, the collaboration between design and other disciplines is emerging. However, although a large body of research has investigated the role of design in business (e.g. Muratovski, 2015) and more recently in government and policy making (e.g. Malmberg, 2017), very little is still known about the potential role of design in scientific academic environments. Therefore, this thesis aims to provide an empirical account of design’s contribution to research processes in the current framework of scientific practice. Since its foundation, Aalto University has had the goal to foster a multi-disciplinary community with the mission of “shaping the future” to build a sustainable society (Aalto University, 2015). According to the University Strategy 2016-2020, the goal has been to solve complex societal challenges by combining knowledge from different disciplines, “science and art together with technology and business”. Thus, Aalto University can be seen as a relevant context to observe emerging collaborations between disciplines. Most recently, various initiatives saw designers collaborating with scientists in the process of scientific knowledge production. Through a case study of such initiatives, this research explores practices of collaboration between designers and scientists. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews with a group of 16 participants, composed of des

Children today are born into a complex and contradictory world of entwined social and ecological problems with increasing levels of uncertainty. As the number of plant and animal species plummets in what scientists describe as the sixth mass extinction, the flow of people to urban areas continues to rise. Simultaneously, the decline of children’s routine experience of nature is widely reported with direct impacts on health, wellbeing and the development of positive environmental attitudes. In the nexus of these interrelated problems lies an opportunity for urban design which promotes both ecosystem and human flourishing. The purpose of this thesis is to critically examine how the design of pedagogical green spaces, namely school yards and urban parks can enhance children’s connection to nature. For the main research component, I conducted a five-week observational study of outdoor schools in Stockholm. The purpose of the study was to record the relation between the qualities of various significant nature situations and the physical properties of the spaces that they occurred within. The results suggest that it is possible to determine which physical elements are frequently part of significant nature situations. By including these elements within the design of pedagogical greenspaces, it is likely that a high potential for nature connection could be provided. Furthermore, the results show the qualities of significant nature situations can be divided into 5 key categories: restorative experiences, creative experiences, sensory experiences, physical free play and nature school which were recorded alongside the physical properties present in each situation. The results show that the first four categories are linked to specific physical attributes while nature school activities utilised a combination of different properties. Consequently, there is a potential to design greenspaces which support specific types of nature situations. The results can be utilised by urban pla

Design facilitation is among one of the most acclaimed approaches applied in contemporary collaborative projects. Intended as both the overarching process and the mediating act between a facilitator, typically a designer, and actors such as citizens, it has increasingly gained popularity due to the participatory, inclusive, co-creative, and empathic principles associated with it. The sudden recognition of the field of Participatory Design (PD) has nonetheless led to the use and (mis-)(over-)use of practice, causing an exponential loss of its political origin (Seravalli, 2014) if compared for example to the Scandinavian participatory movements in the ‘70s driven by political disputes regarding workplace democracy (Simonsen & Robertson, 2012). Design facilitation, among other areas of practice, has become a buzzword, rendering inevitable the adoption and adaptation of different definitions to it. This aspect, despite highlighting facilitation’s versatility, leaves room for deliberate and convenient interpretations of its meaning, use, and ethical limitations. The research focuses on acknowledging and rendering visible the otherwise often unaddressed political nature of design facilitation by making more explicit its underpinning structures and components. It focuses on critically contrasting contemporary views of design facilitation, which are typically apolitical, against revised notions that take into consideration its complex power dynamics and political implications. Delving into the interconnectedness between design, power, politics and participatory practices becomes an opportunity to explore contemporary mainstream notions within design that are worth being revisited and challenged from an alternative stance. The thesis is entirely theoretical and draws on principles of transdisciplinary research. Three lenses - critique, unpacking, and language use - are established and applied to an extensive analysis of literature belonging to design, philosophy, social stud

There are many challenges facing the use of sustainability rating systems for the built environment, both interior and exterior. Implementing such ratings can also be immensely rigid and quite expensive. The rigidity and cost disables their use by firms whose project scheme varies, and their implementation becomes limited by tight project budgets. With varying project types, client visions and firm goals, the task of choosing and applying a rating system, is an arduous stride. In this thesis, I study the aforementioned rating systems, and develop a new rating process for a Finnish interior design agency, Suunnittelutoimisto Amerikka. For the sake of keeping to timely project delivery and general ease of applicability, it is crucial for the design professionals at Suunnittelutoimisto Amerikka to have a reliable source from which new guiding criteria can be obtained unanimously. Because of the profound need for familiarizing design professionals with the terrain of sustainable design, there is doubtlessly a missing link between the tools which facilitate the practice of sustainability and the designer. As a result, this paper outlines a roadmap (production component) for the design professionals at Suunnittelutoimisto Amerikka situated in Helsinki, Finland. It will serve as a guiding force toward their sustainable business development which will prove to methodically enable employees and clients to more effectively communicate and achieve their goals within a sustainable agenda. With practice and development, Amerikka’s implementation of the roadmap will serve to eco-effectively plan, design and deliver projects.

Eco-oriented makers and grassroots subcultures experimenting with digital fabrication technologies, and other activists designing sustainable futures, are increasingly the subject of research. As they address problems of environmental sustainability beyond institutional contexts, their work may appear vague, even confused, yet their activities are underpinned by intense and principled commitment. Working through their confusion, many maker communities build new understandings about what ‘sustainability’ could mean. We argue that herein lie important resources for new knowledge, and further that ethnography is the ideal way to track these processes of learning and knowledge production. The ethnographer participates in local confusion, over values and the definitions of sustainability, but also about what constitutes useful knowledge. Supported by STS (and other) literature on environmental expertise, we argue that maker communities' own acknowledgement of this vagueness actually makes possible a position from which epistemological authority can be reasserted.