Ecological theory in design: participant designers in an age of entanglement

Boehnert, J ORCID: 0000-0002-8990-0325 (2024) 'Ecological theory in design: participant designers in an age of entanglement.' In: Egenhoefer, R.B, ed. Routledge handbook of sustainable design. 2nd ed. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 71-83. ISBN 9781032430331

Abstract

Ecological thought challenges the intellectual tradition wherein the environment is available to be endlessly exploited and where humanity must conquer the non-human natural world to survive. The design of sustainable ways of living requires a different perspective. Ecological thought emphasizes the intricate interconnectivity and interdependency between humans and the non-human natural world. This chapter presents the historical attitudes towards nature and the origins and characteristics of ecological thought in the context of participant designers. Ecological thought offers a more coherent paradigm as a basis for sustainable transformations. The participant designer understands herself as embedded within and interdependent with her ecological context. Yet effective design solutions do not simply emerge from this understanding. They become possible through her capacities to analyze and identify the interests that are systemically de-prioritized in this particular context along the concepts that legitimize environmental and social harms and injustices. The participant designer must understand why the political economy matters for regenerative design to enable change on a scale necessary to address society’s most severe problems.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Divisions:	Bath School of Design
Date Deposited:	15 Feb 2024 14:59
Last Modified:	12 Apr 2024 16:26
URI / Page ID:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/16091

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