How do we learn and teach amid complex societal change? ESCuela: ESC & Education shares lessons from more than a decade of Systemic Co-Design (SCD) practice in classrooms, communities, and international collaborations. Blending reflection and practice shows how learning transforms when teachers become …

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 …

Background and aim. To improve the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in schools, the Dutch government issued a program of requirements (PoR) “Fresh Schools”. This study aims to determine the effect of adopting class A (high IEQ) or B (moderate IEQ) of this PoR on students’ comfort and performance. Requirements …

Facility management (FM) is pivotal in creating spaces and services that foster equitable and cohesive societies. A role that becomes even more critical as one in four adults in the European Union is disabled, with 52% experiencing discrimination (Eurostat, 2025). Despite the EU’s 2007 ratification of …

Two years ago, in an economically underprivileged neighbourhood, designers and researchers collaborated with residents to investigate how local community challenges could be supported by initially hypothetical autonomous urban robots that later became known as “hoodbots” (Jaskiewicz & Smit, 2024). The …

This article examines how collaborative design practices in higher education are reshaped through postdigital entanglement with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). We collectively explore how co-design, an inclusive, iterative, and relational approach to educational design and transformation, …

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 …

How do citizens, designers, policymakers, and local entrepreneurs actually work together in ways that are inclusive, sustainable, and effective? Collaboration in urban innovation is often treated as a matter of method or structure, but what happens when timelines clash, trust falters, or understanding …

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, …

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, …