In this co-design project, we wanted to better understand how leverage point theory could be applied to the social design field. We also wanted to develop an alternative perspective on and language for the different systemic levels design needs to tackle to contribute to societal impact and long-term …

Methodological research is on the move. Across disciplines and domains, we see a growing focus on how methods can collectively drive systemic change and support societal transitions. The KEM monitor brings these developments together — tracing the emerging directions of a field in motion. Key Enabling …

The world is changing fast, and technology is becoming smarter and more intelligent. As Artificial Intelligence dominates the conversation — with Quantum Computing, Synthetic Data, and Organoid Intelligence on the horizon — designers face an urgent question: Are we heading toward Utopian or Dystopian …

Quite literally, our title marks the perspective we worked out for this article. What is the value of creativity if anyone can generate 1000 ideas at the touch of a button? And how do artists and designers that create at the forefront of digital art and design maintain and develop this value? How do …

To achieve national climate ambitions, accelerating the energy and circularity transitions is essential. The challenge lies in building response capacity within organisations, municipalities and the education sector to shape responsible, future-oriented practices that can drive energy and circularity …

Neighbourhood as a Biotope (Wijk als Biotoop - WaB) focuses on enhancing biodiversity in urban areas by fostering collaboration between people, nature, and technology. The project brings together 15 partners, including municipalities, nature foundations, technology companies, and diverse groups of residents, …

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, …

Future Proof Labs (FPL) was a four-year research project funded by CLICKNL. It was fundamentally oriented toward co-design in contexts of societal transition. The project brought together academic researchers, practitioners, and a broad network of social design bureaus to collaboratively develop and …

Over the past ten years, the ecosystem concept has been used to frame innovation and transition endeavours undertaken by multi-actor groups. Systemic design initiatives are broadly engaging with ecosystems. The concept and phenomenon have been central in theory as well as practice, though remain contested …

Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and augmented/virtual reality come with many ethical and societal questions. In order to develop applications based on these technologies responsibly, businesses, governments and knowledge institutions are increasingly working together, and sometimes …