In the face of increasingly complex societal challenges, the field of social design is being called upon to deepen its ability to create long-term, systemic impact. This project, conducted with five experienced social designers and one workshop in our ESConference in 2025, explored how systems thinking, …

Social design is a growing practice field and expected to create impact on socio-technical systems and society at large. It positions designers to commit themselves to long-term visions and coordinate social change accordingly (Tromp & Vial, 2023). This requires designers to have a good understanding …

Urban living labs (ULLs) are experimental governance mechanisms accelerating sustainability transitions in the built environment, yet their governance implications and systemic impact are often under-examined. A comparative analysis of six ULLs is presented with a focus on positive energy districts (PEDs) …

"Sustainability education requires inter- and transdisciplinary approaches that integrate environmental, economic, technical, and social perspectives to address complex societal challenges. This article presents the bachelor’s and master’s programmes in Sustainable Development and Applied Sustainability …

"Education with hands-on impact: This project highlights how a German and a Malagasy higher education institution, together with their spin-offs, collaborate to implement sustainable energy solutions and promote social participation at the local level. Through the joint establishment of a pellet factory …

A replacement of cars with conventional internal combustion engines (ICEs) by electric vehicles (EVs) is seen by many as a means to improve local air quality, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. The market for EV is slowly developing with a growing number of (subsidized) manufacturers …

Powerful Ageing is a power training intervention offered by Dutch municipalities to improve the physical functioning of its older residents, thereby reducing their reliance on assistive living devices and social support services. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Powerful Ageing on muscle …

Gaasperdam, located in Amsterdam’s southeastern region, is a diverse neighborhood with a population of approximately 30, 000 residents. The area is characterized by a mix of social housing and privately owned homes, with several residential high-rises built during the 1970s and 1980s. In terms of education, …

The visibility of sustainable energy measures is a channel of social influence, a means of conspicuous consumption, and affects the aesthetics of an environment. This study investigates how the visibility of sustainable household energy measures (i.e., installation of renewable energy and energy efficient …

Household food waste has a significant impact on the environment and to diminish this, understanding the effectiveness of different types of interventions, alone and in combination, is key. To better understand what makes waste-reduction interventions effective, we need to disentangle different intervention …