Shaping Social proceSSeS
Shaping Social Processes.
Critical theory discourse, empirical analysis and implementation using the example of a prototypical urban food system design. Susanna Vogel, MA
Manuela Lackus, MA
research assistant
Senior Researcher
[email protected]
[email protected]
Abstract
sign strategy can have a positive influence on the development and distribution of new social practices and looks at the question of which role designers can play in this interdisciplinary approach.
How a population consumes food is the result of a social process. The food supply, from production to consumption, is therefore coupled with countless de-
New Chances for designers
cisions and actions. Citizens in developed Western so-
The initial objects of investigation were so-called Creative Communities: Their solutions arise not only from pure need. In fact, their solutions facilitate a pleasing way of connecting their own interests with those of society and the environment (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 21ff.). These initiatives were valuable as a source of inspiration since they are generated and prototyped by “normal people“.
cieties generally consider the questions surrounding food supply to be solved, secure and matter-of-fact as they need not think about the logistics. Everyone involved in this food system is primarily concerned
So the key-issue is a new wave of social innovation through collaborative consumption. Social Innovations are defined as „new products and services (...) that are both good for society - and enhance society’s capacity to act“ (Murray et al. 2010). For further investigations, this meant creating conditions through which different actors are enabled to “express their ideas, to meet partners and to start projects and/or solutions to help promoters to develop and manage innovative organisations over time“ (Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 36). Therefore, in order to envision an “enabling solution“ (Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 36) for social entrepreneurs, a framework for forming collaborative actions on a local scale is needed. Especially at the “fuzzy front end” (Clatworthy 2009, p. 2) of the innovation process it is increasingly important to transform insights into tangible solutions. This lead to the insight that there is are searches for new skills at different levels of society. Particularly, policy and local authorities seem to need assistance when it comes to innovating new solutions and discussing them with citizens (cf. Clatworthy 2009, p.2). This makes it necessary to put possible future solutions “on stage” so that it can be decided which solution is more desirable. And this brings strategic designers into “the scene”: to facilitate this process bottom to top - in a flexible and empowering way. In order to enhance
with assuring that there is sufficient opportunity for consuming food (cf. Gorgolewski et al. 2011, p. 13). However, the social and ecological consequences resulting from the increasing industrialization of agriculture demonstrate the necessity of sustainable urban food systems (cf. Meadows et al. 2009, p. 15ff). The present description deals with the role of design in the innovation process of a small-structured but networked urban infrastructure for food production which is based on a Master thesis, conducted at University for Applied Science, Salzburg. Theoretical & empirical Background This poster deals with the idea that our society must embark on a new direction. For this undertaking, designers have important tools and methods to offer for assisting this process (cf. Manzini 2008, p. 4ff.). It is assumed that de-
1
define specific tasks and challenges which the initiator is confronted with. Here, it is his task to find creative solutions for these individual problems. category (d) “vision update” moves forward toward the “desired conditions” and is therefore the starting-point for the implication and outlook. it characterizes the long-term goals of the service: to increase the impact of the projects, systemize the various projects so that they can be implemented in a different area, and to provide stable structures for experiences and experiments (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2008, s. 21ff.).
this energy within society, strategic designers need to give shape to a common vision (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2003, p.1). EMpiricAl rEsEArcH
during the empirical research, a closer look was taken at a specific type of creative community: urban farmers and the different actors involved. the purpose was to understand their projects as seeds which carry a certain dnA and to try to spot the conditions which might help cultivate this practice. in order to assist other people in starting similar initiatives, we needed to understand their current structures, strengths and weaknesses (cf. Manzini 2006, p. 11ff). in an empirical study, we compared an urban farming initiative started by two social entrepreneurs in berlin with a project initiated by the city in the mid-sized town of salzburg. the comparison was necessary in order to describe and explain the structures of current urban farming practices from different points of departure (cf. kelle / kluge 1999, p. 10).
iMplicAtion & oUtlook Based on the explicit problems, the vision of a first prototypical urban food system is presented and the long-term goals are transferred to a briefing. It is assumed that in order to get people ‘doing’, a motivating vision which creates a sense of identity is necessary to initiate the process. the implications and outlooks which are shown in the poster present the initial outline for an organisation with the name: “gemüsewerkstadt”. in order to reach the before mentioned goals, the vision was to equip potential farmers with specific skills by providing a tool-box for this specific type of niche-product. All activities aim to provide sufficient access to the city farmers´ offers and to make their project more effective and attractive for potential participants and partners. in order to explain the “societal embedding process” (cf. ceschin 2011, p. 2ff.), the actors, their needs, the offerings , the touch-points and the experiences of the prototype are illustrated.
the data was gathered by means of theoretical research, interviews and field-research and was later reduced to the “typical“ aspects. these provide a clear view of the distinctive features and the problems the initiators had to face when implementing their actions. Finally the categories were transformed to a model which describes the “status quo” and the “desired conditions” for urban farming.
STaTUS-QUo
(a) organiSaTional STrUcTUre
ciTY
inDiViDUalS / groUpS
community work
social entrepreneur
public funds
earned income / philanthropy
the analysis has shown that in order to effectively use local resources and increase the impact of the project, this type of entrepreneur especially searches for guidance in order to encourage a greater variety of actors to participate. this can mean involving city authorities, involving neighbours and bonding with potential partners. the evolving solution must provide sufficient space for experiencing the actors and their individual stories as well as foster diversity.
(B) challengeS
Social inTegraTion
Technical inTegraTion
SpaTial inTegraTion
e.g. educ. / therapy
e.g. resources
e.g. scale / zone
DeSireD conDiTion
(c) role oF The iniTiaTor
inTeracTion
coMMUnicaTion
garDen aS a BranD
proDUcTiViTY iMproVeMenT
eDUcaTional WorK
besides the individual stories and products, the needs and motivations of potential participants are just as diverse. on the one hand, it is about being actively involved in sourcing food in the cities (making ), by greening the city( meeting and sharing) and by creating a feeling of community (doing). on the other hand, it is also about the fundamental need to eat and, specifically, offering access to fresh products. By providing different settings, online and offline, for participation and by outlining the incentives (make, meet, share, eat) a consciousness for regional products can be experienced through actual offerings. the offering of the envisioned service are the main focus of the presented poster. Finally, “gemüsewerkstadt” can also be seen as a label signifying the quality-of-life within a, literally “green city” which can result when trained designers implement creative, sustainable ideas to help develop and support processes in urban societies.
(D) ViSion
econoMic SUSTainaBiliTY
Figure 1:increase result research: systemize descriptive impact project model. stable structure the model illustrates the key-aspects and goals when implementing these projects and combines the theoretical and empirical research. When regarding the “status quo”, category (A) “organizational structure” refers to the “initial impulse” leading to starting the project. category (b) “challenges in the start-up-phase” contains aspects that define the degree of systematic integration into the city´s structure. this is made up of three subcategories technical-, spatial- and social integration (cf. Gorgolewski et al. 2011, p. 9ff.). category (c), the “role of the initiator” gives an insight into the medium-term goals. the subcategories
2
References Ceschin, F. 2011. The societal embedding of sustainable Product-Service Systems. Milan: Politecnico de Milano. Clatworthy, S. 2009. Bridging the gap between brand strategy and customer experience in services: the target experience tool. Oslo: First Nordic Conference on Service Design and Service Innovation. Gorgolewski, M.; Komisar, J.; Nasr, J. 2011. Carrot City: Creating places for urban agriculture. New York: The Monacelli Press. Jégou, F.; Manzini, E. 2008. Collaborative Services. Social Innovation and design for Sustainability. Milan: Politecnico de Milano. Manzini, E., François J. 2003. Sustainable everyday – Scenarios, visions, possible worlds. Sydney: Change Design. Manzini, E. 2006. Creative communities and the diffused social enterprise. The socio-technical innovation in a bottom-up perspective. In: EMUDE: Emerging user demands. Creative communities. Towards active welfare and a distributed economy. Final Results Document version: 4. Manzini, E. 2008. New Design Knowledge. Introduction to the conference Changing the Change. In: Cipolla, Carla; Peruccio, Paolo (Hrsg.): Changing the Change Design. Visions, Proposals and Tools. Turin: Alemandi. Meadows, D.; Randers, J.; Meadows, D. 2009. Grenzen des Wachstums, das 30-Jahre-Update: Signal zum Kurswechsel. Stuttgart: Hirzel Verlag. Murray, R.; Caulier-Grice, J.; Mulgan, G. 2010. The Open Book of Social Innovation: Ways to Design, Develop and Grow Social Innovation. London: NESTA. Kelle, U.; Kluge, S. 1999. Vom Einzelfall zum Typus. Opladen: Leske + Budrich.
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Critical theory discourse, empirical analysis and implementation using the example of a prototypical urban food system design. Susanna Vogel, MA
Manuela Lackus, MA
research assistant
Senior Researcher
[email protected]
[email protected]
Abstract
sign strategy can have a positive influence on the development and distribution of new social practices and looks at the question of which role designers can play in this interdisciplinary approach.
How a population consumes food is the result of a social process. The food supply, from production to consumption, is therefore coupled with countless de-
New Chances for designers
cisions and actions. Citizens in developed Western so-
The initial objects of investigation were so-called Creative Communities: Their solutions arise not only from pure need. In fact, their solutions facilitate a pleasing way of connecting their own interests with those of society and the environment (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 21ff.). These initiatives were valuable as a source of inspiration since they are generated and prototyped by “normal people“.
cieties generally consider the questions surrounding food supply to be solved, secure and matter-of-fact as they need not think about the logistics. Everyone involved in this food system is primarily concerned
So the key-issue is a new wave of social innovation through collaborative consumption. Social Innovations are defined as „new products and services (...) that are both good for society - and enhance society’s capacity to act“ (Murray et al. 2010). For further investigations, this meant creating conditions through which different actors are enabled to “express their ideas, to meet partners and to start projects and/or solutions to help promoters to develop and manage innovative organisations over time“ (Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 36). Therefore, in order to envision an “enabling solution“ (Jégou / Manzini 2008, p. 36) for social entrepreneurs, a framework for forming collaborative actions on a local scale is needed. Especially at the “fuzzy front end” (Clatworthy 2009, p. 2) of the innovation process it is increasingly important to transform insights into tangible solutions. This lead to the insight that there is are searches for new skills at different levels of society. Particularly, policy and local authorities seem to need assistance when it comes to innovating new solutions and discussing them with citizens (cf. Clatworthy 2009, p.2). This makes it necessary to put possible future solutions “on stage” so that it can be decided which solution is more desirable. And this brings strategic designers into “the scene”: to facilitate this process bottom to top - in a flexible and empowering way. In order to enhance
with assuring that there is sufficient opportunity for consuming food (cf. Gorgolewski et al. 2011, p. 13). However, the social and ecological consequences resulting from the increasing industrialization of agriculture demonstrate the necessity of sustainable urban food systems (cf. Meadows et al. 2009, p. 15ff). The present description deals with the role of design in the innovation process of a small-structured but networked urban infrastructure for food production which is based on a Master thesis, conducted at University for Applied Science, Salzburg. Theoretical & empirical Background This poster deals with the idea that our society must embark on a new direction. For this undertaking, designers have important tools and methods to offer for assisting this process (cf. Manzini 2008, p. 4ff.). It is assumed that de-
1
define specific tasks and challenges which the initiator is confronted with. Here, it is his task to find creative solutions for these individual problems. category (d) “vision update” moves forward toward the “desired conditions” and is therefore the starting-point for the implication and outlook. it characterizes the long-term goals of the service: to increase the impact of the projects, systemize the various projects so that they can be implemented in a different area, and to provide stable structures for experiences and experiments (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2008, s. 21ff.).
this energy within society, strategic designers need to give shape to a common vision (cf. Jégou / Manzini 2003, p.1). EMpiricAl rEsEArcH
during the empirical research, a closer look was taken at a specific type of creative community: urban farmers and the different actors involved. the purpose was to understand their projects as seeds which carry a certain dnA and to try to spot the conditions which might help cultivate this practice. in order to assist other people in starting similar initiatives, we needed to understand their current structures, strengths and weaknesses (cf. Manzini 2006, p. 11ff). in an empirical study, we compared an urban farming initiative started by two social entrepreneurs in berlin with a project initiated by the city in the mid-sized town of salzburg. the comparison was necessary in order to describe and explain the structures of current urban farming practices from different points of departure (cf. kelle / kluge 1999, p. 10).
iMplicAtion & oUtlook Based on the explicit problems, the vision of a first prototypical urban food system is presented and the long-term goals are transferred to a briefing. It is assumed that in order to get people ‘doing’, a motivating vision which creates a sense of identity is necessary to initiate the process. the implications and outlooks which are shown in the poster present the initial outline for an organisation with the name: “gemüsewerkstadt”. in order to reach the before mentioned goals, the vision was to equip potential farmers with specific skills by providing a tool-box for this specific type of niche-product. All activities aim to provide sufficient access to the city farmers´ offers and to make their project more effective and attractive for potential participants and partners. in order to explain the “societal embedding process” (cf. ceschin 2011, p. 2ff.), the actors, their needs, the offerings , the touch-points and the experiences of the prototype are illustrated.
the data was gathered by means of theoretical research, interviews and field-research and was later reduced to the “typical“ aspects. these provide a clear view of the distinctive features and the problems the initiators had to face when implementing their actions. Finally the categories were transformed to a model which describes the “status quo” and the “desired conditions” for urban farming.
STaTUS-QUo
(a) organiSaTional STrUcTUre
ciTY
inDiViDUalS / groUpS
community work
social entrepreneur
public funds
earned income / philanthropy
the analysis has shown that in order to effectively use local resources and increase the impact of the project, this type of entrepreneur especially searches for guidance in order to encourage a greater variety of actors to participate. this can mean involving city authorities, involving neighbours and bonding with potential partners. the evolving solution must provide sufficient space for experiencing the actors and their individual stories as well as foster diversity.
(B) challengeS
Social inTegraTion
Technical inTegraTion
SpaTial inTegraTion
e.g. educ. / therapy
e.g. resources
e.g. scale / zone
DeSireD conDiTion
(c) role oF The iniTiaTor
inTeracTion
coMMUnicaTion
garDen aS a BranD
proDUcTiViTY iMproVeMenT
eDUcaTional WorK
besides the individual stories and products, the needs and motivations of potential participants are just as diverse. on the one hand, it is about being actively involved in sourcing food in the cities (making ), by greening the city( meeting and sharing) and by creating a feeling of community (doing). on the other hand, it is also about the fundamental need to eat and, specifically, offering access to fresh products. By providing different settings, online and offline, for participation and by outlining the incentives (make, meet, share, eat) a consciousness for regional products can be experienced through actual offerings. the offering of the envisioned service are the main focus of the presented poster. Finally, “gemüsewerkstadt” can also be seen as a label signifying the quality-of-life within a, literally “green city” which can result when trained designers implement creative, sustainable ideas to help develop and support processes in urban societies.
(D) ViSion
econoMic SUSTainaBiliTY
Figure 1:increase result research: systemize descriptive impact project model. stable structure the model illustrates the key-aspects and goals when implementing these projects and combines the theoretical and empirical research. When regarding the “status quo”, category (A) “organizational structure” refers to the “initial impulse” leading to starting the project. category (b) “challenges in the start-up-phase” contains aspects that define the degree of systematic integration into the city´s structure. this is made up of three subcategories technical-, spatial- and social integration (cf. Gorgolewski et al. 2011, p. 9ff.). category (c), the “role of the initiator” gives an insight into the medium-term goals. the subcategories
2
References Ceschin, F. 2011. The societal embedding of sustainable Product-Service Systems. Milan: Politecnico de Milano. Clatworthy, S. 2009. Bridging the gap between brand strategy and customer experience in services: the target experience tool. Oslo: First Nordic Conference on Service Design and Service Innovation. Gorgolewski, M.; Komisar, J.; Nasr, J. 2011. Carrot City: Creating places for urban agriculture. New York: The Monacelli Press. Jégou, F.; Manzini, E. 2008. Collaborative Services. Social Innovation and design for Sustainability. Milan: Politecnico de Milano. Manzini, E., François J. 2003. Sustainable everyday – Scenarios, visions, possible worlds. Sydney: Change Design. Manzini, E. 2006. Creative communities and the diffused social enterprise. The socio-technical innovation in a bottom-up perspective. In: EMUDE: Emerging user demands. Creative communities. Towards active welfare and a distributed economy. Final Results Document version: 4. Manzini, E. 2008. New Design Knowledge. Introduction to the conference Changing the Change. In: Cipolla, Carla; Peruccio, Paolo (Hrsg.): Changing the Change Design. Visions, Proposals and Tools. Turin: Alemandi. Meadows, D.; Randers, J.; Meadows, D. 2009. Grenzen des Wachstums, das 30-Jahre-Update: Signal zum Kurswechsel. Stuttgart: Hirzel Verlag. Murray, R.; Caulier-Grice, J.; Mulgan, G. 2010. The Open Book of Social Innovation: Ways to Design, Develop and Grow Social Innovation. London: NESTA. Kelle, U.; Kluge, S. 1999. Vom Einzelfall zum Typus. Opladen: Leske + Budrich.
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