Abstract
The main focus of this paper is Design Education and the need for implementing sustainability concepts within design disciplines. This approach reflects the urgently need of searching new methodologies in order to find the needs of the present without compromising the future generations ability in finding their own needs, according to the World Commission on Development and Environment, 1987. In this sense, some changes in design methodologies, particularly in design education, are discussed and pointed out as a matter of priority. The perspective of sustainability imposes new concepts of development, new social behavior and new cultural paradigms, which can be seen as an extreme difficulty in implementing sustainable practices. In one hand the currently pedagogical practices do not drive to sustainability because it is mainly centered in the teachers’ background instead of a participatory process with students, on the other hand the goals of design projects are focused on industry needs other than society. This means, the more we focus on traditional methods in design education the less we can achieve sustainability. Using these ideas as a starting point, some reflections on contemporary design education are discussed. The example of the Green Mapping Methodology is used as reference in undergraduate design courses, trying to implement the principles of sustainable development within the design disciplines. The main contribution of this article is to show how the development of the Green Map System can effectively contribute to the discussion about a more sustainable world, taking into account the design’s point of view. This method has as main goals education, information and promotion of a sustainability conscience. Green Map identifies some social and environmental issues, as well as urban natural resources of the city of Sao Paulo and starts a collective thinking process within design students. In this sense, this method is used as example of how to design and permanently dealing with social and environmental aspects of development, changing the attitude of designers according to the sustainability approach.
Keywords
Design education, sustainability, green map system
Citation
Souza, P., and Faria, A. (2004) Reflections on Contemporary Design Education: The Green Map System as a Tool for a Better Understanding of Sustainable Practices., in Redmond, J., Durling, D. and de Bono, A (eds.), Futureground - DRS International Conference 2004, 17-21 November, Melbourne, Australia. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2004/researchpapers/124
Reflections on Contemporary Design Education: The Green Map System as a Tool for a Better Understanding of Sustainable Practices.
The main focus of this paper is Design Education and the need for implementing sustainability concepts within design disciplines. This approach reflects the urgently need of searching new methodologies in order to find the needs of the present without compromising the future generations ability in finding their own needs, according to the World Commission on Development and Environment, 1987. In this sense, some changes in design methodologies, particularly in design education, are discussed and pointed out as a matter of priority. The perspective of sustainability imposes new concepts of development, new social behavior and new cultural paradigms, which can be seen as an extreme difficulty in implementing sustainable practices. In one hand the currently pedagogical practices do not drive to sustainability because it is mainly centered in the teachers’ background instead of a participatory process with students, on the other hand the goals of design projects are focused on industry needs other than society. This means, the more we focus on traditional methods in design education the less we can achieve sustainability. Using these ideas as a starting point, some reflections on contemporary design education are discussed. The example of the Green Mapping Methodology is used as reference in undergraduate design courses, trying to implement the principles of sustainable development within the design disciplines. The main contribution of this article is to show how the development of the Green Map System can effectively contribute to the discussion about a more sustainable world, taking into account the design’s point of view. This method has as main goals education, information and promotion of a sustainability conscience. Green Map identifies some social and environmental issues, as well as urban natural resources of the city of Sao Paulo and starts a collective thinking process within design students. In this sense, this method is used as example of how to design and permanently dealing with social and environmental aspects of development, changing the attitude of designers according to the sustainability approach.