Local Bio-Energy Promotes Distributed Economy for Sustainable Development: Systemic Design Approach and Case-Studies

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Barbero
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Systemic Design

scholarly journals Rural development and sustainable innovation how systemic design approach can contribute to the growth of marginal regions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Bicocca
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Local Problems ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Architecture And Design ◽  
Systemic Design

The objective of the project is to reach sustainable development in rural areas through Design Aapproaches. Sustainable means that matches the three dimensions, people, planet and profit. Sustainable development consists of goals and strategies that together provide alternative tracks to conventional development, offering improved livelihoods to the poor in ways that promote both their empowerment and the conservation or improvement of key natural resources so that the basis of productive activities can be maintained into the future (Lele 1991; Pretty 1998). The topic of rural development is relevant becouse of the quantity  of people, poor or extremely poor, living in rural territories. More than 3 billion people live in rural areas. Design rarely deals with rural development and with the definition of a system that can facilitate the growth and the development of the territory. If it does, it usually focuses on products or services. The most important futures, which globally all rural areas share in common, are remoteness and isolation. Many rural sociologists argue that small structure and cooperation are important strengths that contribute to ethic and social identity. The central role that play territorial context and relationships in the Systemic Design Approach (SDA) makes it a very effective approach to support and encourage rural development in a sustainable way. Applying the SDA, it is possible to manage local resources and local products in a way that allows the economic strengthening of the farmers and communities that live in the territory. The Systemic Design team of the Deparment of Architecture and Design (DAD) of Politecnico di Torino has been engaged for years into the develop of the Systemic Design Approach, that can be summed up by five principles (Bistagnino, 2011): Output > Input: the output (waste) of a system becomes the input (resource) for another one Relationships that generate the system, each one contributes to the system Auto-generation systems sustain themselves by reproducing automatically Act locally: context is fundamental because it values local resources (humans, cultures and materials) and it helps to modify local problems in new opportunities Man at the centre of the project: Man is connected to social, cultural and ethic environment It is essential to start from the current state of the art, that allows to define strengths and weaknesses, before to design the system, made of flows between actors.

Empowering Developing Nations and Sustainable Development: Case Studies and Synthesis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hameedullah Zaheb ◽  
Najib Rahman Sabory ◽  
Tomonobu Senjyu ◽  
Mikaeel Ahmadi ◽  
Sayed Hashmat Sadat
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Developing Nations

scholarly journals BRINGING SYSTEMIC DESIGN IN THE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICE: THE CASE OF GENDER EQUALITY IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 581-590
Author(s):  
Alexis JP Jacoby ◽  
Kristel Van Ael
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Traditional Design ◽  
Systemic Problems ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Systemic Design

AbstractThe field of design practice and design education is reaching out to address problems that cannot be solved by introducing a single product or service. Complex societal problems such as gender inequality cannot be solved using a traditional problem-solving oriented design approach. The specific characteristics of these problems require new ways of dealing with the dynamics, scale and complexity of the problem.Systemic design is a design approach integrating systems thinking in combination with more traditional design methodologies, addressing complex and systemic problems. This paper reports a systemic design approach in an educational context for the case of academic gender inequality. We show the way the problem was addressed and how design students were invited to take a systemic perspective, provide integrated interventions and take first steps in providing instruments for implementation. We conclude with the learnings from this case study, both on the process and the results.

scholarly journals Can Indicators Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy? An Exploration into the (Non)Use and (Non)Influence of Indicators in EU and UK Policy Making

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Léa Sébastien ◽  
Tom Bauler ◽  
Markku Lehtonen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Energy Indicators ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Evidence For Policy ◽  
The Eu

This article examines the various roles that indicators, as boundary objects, can play as a science-based evidence for policy processes. It presents two case studies from the EU-funded POINT project that analyzed the use and influence of two highly different types of indicators: composite indicators of sustainable development at the EU level and energy indicators in the UK. In both cases indicators failed as direct input to policy making, yet they generated various types of conceptual and political use and influence. The composite sustainable development indicators served as “framework indicators”, helping to advocate a specific vision of sustainable development, whereas the energy indicators produced various types of indirect influence, including through the process of indicator elaboration. Our case studies demonstrate the relatively limited importance of the characteristics and quality of indicators in determining the role of indicators, as compared with the crucial importance of “user factors” (characteristics of policy actors) and “policy factors” (policy context).

scholarly journals Systemic Design: Two Canadian Case Studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Ryan ◽  
Mark Leung
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Management System ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Resource Management System ◽  
First Case ◽  
Systemic Design

This paper introduces two novel applications of systemic design to facilitate a comparison of alternative methodologies that integrate systems thinking and design. In the first case study, systemic design helped the Procurement Department at the University of Toronto re-envision how public policy is implemented and how value is created in the broader university purchasing ecosystem. This resulted in an estimated $1.5 million in savings in the first year, and a rise in user retention rates from 40% to 99%. In the second case study, systemic design helped the clean energy and natural resources group within the Government of Alberta to design a more efficient and effective resource management system and shift the way that natural resource departments work together. This resulted in the formation of a standing systemic design team and contributed to the creation of an integrated resource management system. A comparative analysis of the two projects identifies a shared set of core principles for systemic design as well as areas of differentiation that reveal potential for learning across methodologies. Together, these case studies demonstrate the complementarity of systems thinking and design thinking, and show how they may be integrated to guide positive change within complex sociotechnical systems.

scholarly journals Water-Education as a Promoter of Education for Sustainable Development: Three Studies in Portuguese-Speaking African Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-202
Author(s):  
Mafalda Franco Leitão ◽  
Albino Cunha ◽  
Manuela Malheiro Ferreira
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Development Education ◽  
Political Dimension ◽  
Water Education ◽  
Water Literacy ◽  
Sustainability Challenges

The present study is based on research in teacher self-training in Education for Sustainable Development (Leitão, 2012). Water was the motivating theme. The priority of a fair distribution of water, guaranteeing the consumption, in quality and quantity, to all mankind and living beings is urgent. To respond to water-related sustainability challenges, people worldwide need to acquire "water literacy" about various aspects of water use and management in order to ensure safer water consumption and to contribute to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Three case studies were carried out in schools in three African countries: Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. A model of skills in education for sustainable development was applied (Sleurs, 2008). From the analysis of these case studies the theoretical assumptions of research were strengthened by the effective professional practice. But, on contrary, the results that the pillars of sustainable development presented in the basic research should be reviewed, placing the political dimension as transversal, thus strengthening education for sustainable development as fundamental for critical and responsible citizens of the present and of the future. This experience paves the way for future water-education and education for sustainable development projects; such as the follow-up of these three schools.  Keywords: Sustainable Development; Education for Sustainable Development; Water-education and Water Literacy; Case Study

scholarly journals IMPLEMENTING “SUSTAINABILITY-BY-DESIGN” APPROACH IN ORGANIZATIONS BY USING AN EXTENDED RISK INDICATORS SYSTEM FOR MAKING STRATEGIC DECISIONS

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 402-411
Author(s):  
L. A. Sachenko
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Design Process ◽  
Stakeholder Participation ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Rigid Structure

The purpose of this article is to identify possible approaches to the development of the “sustainability-by-design” process, which consists in synchronizing the organization's strategy with the trends of sustainable development. For this purpose, a process of “sustainability-by-design” is proposed on the basis of the “safety-by-design” process applied in practice. As a key link in the process, it is proposed to use a system of sustainability indicators, supplemented by indicators of risk and resilience. To strengthen the adaptive capacity of companies in the field of sustainable development, the process of building “sustainability-by-design” is complemented by the inclusion of democratic procedures through structured stakeholder participation. As a result, the proposed process combines a rigid structure of values and goals with a “soft setup” in the form of democratic procedures. This will allow companies not only to reduce the uncertainties inherent to the pacing problem, but also to create an environment for the promotion of the most effective alternatives to the development of companies in the field of sustainability.

scholarly journals A Framework for Assessing the Social and Economic Impact of Sustainable Investments

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minna Räikkönen ◽  
Susanna Kunttu ◽  
Teuvo Uusitalo ◽  
Josu Takala ◽  
Shah Rukh Shakeel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Affordable Housing ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Construction ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Sustainable Investments

Abstract Investments towards sustainable development are vital for the future and they must be carefully planned to deliver immediate and long-term benefits. Hence, the ability to communicate the forms of impact of sustainable investments to local societies, people, investors and other stakeholders can provide a competitive advantage. However, the assessments are often under pressure to demonstrate short-term effects rather than emphasise the long-term impact. In addition, indirect and intangible forms of impacts should not be measured solely in economic terms. This paper proposes an assessment framework to support the integrated economic and social impact assessment of sustainable investments aimed at improving physical and socio-economic wellbeing. The framework is demonstrated in two case studies: new construction and renovation investments in affordable housing and social impact investment in sustainable development. The investments in the case studies are evaluated, selected and prioritized not only in terms of money but also with regard to sustainability, social acceptability and their overall impact on society, as a whole. The results indicate that a systematic integrated assessment of monetary and non-monetary factors can be successfully combined with the sustainable development decisions.

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