Abstract
Design has been a key protagonist in the story of the “Sustainability Project.” Yet, with capitalism, emissions, biodiversity loss and social injustice increasing, it might be argued that ‘the project,’ and design’s role in it, have failed to engender the sustainable transitions the planet and its people urgently require – and indeed deserve. This theme track aims to counter this defeatist narrative. Emphasising the ever-evolving relationship between Design and Sustainability, the track reflexively recognises that although design can often find itself a main driver of environmental unsustainability, it can similarly be harnessed as a critical conduit for positive planetary change. This theme thusly brings together 12 papers that evidence and negotiate this inherent duality and complexity. Exploring design and sustainability through a plurality of perspectives, the papers illustrate that the “Sustainability Project” gallantly endures. By embracing newer worldviews, tools and techniques such as More-than-Human Design, Regenerative Design and Participatory Futuring, design-oriented planetary researchship continues to be a highly valuable research endeavour into the 21st century.
Keywords
Sustainable Co-creation; Values-led Behaviour Change; Systemic Transitions; Regenerative Relationaility
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.108
Citation
Stead, M., and Sánchez Ruano, D. (2026) Regenerating the “Sustainability Project”: Transitioning Design and Sustainability Research into the 21st Century, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.108
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Regenerating the “Sustainability Project”: Transitioning Design and Sustainability Research into the 21st Century
Design has been a key protagonist in the story of the “Sustainability Project.” Yet, with capitalism, emissions, biodiversity loss and social injustice increasing, it might be argued that ‘the project,’ and design’s role in it, have failed to engender the sustainable transitions the planet and its people urgently require – and indeed deserve. This theme track aims to counter this defeatist narrative. Emphasising the ever-evolving relationship between Design and Sustainability, the track reflexively recognises that although design can often find itself a main driver of environmental unsustainability, it can similarly be harnessed as a critical conduit for positive planetary change. This theme thusly brings together 12 papers that evidence and negotiate this inherent duality and complexity. Exploring design and sustainability through a plurality of perspectives, the papers illustrate that the “Sustainability Project” gallantly endures. By embracing newer worldviews, tools and techniques such as More-than-Human Design, Regenerative Design and Participatory Futuring, design-oriented planetary researchship continues to be a highly valuable research endeavour into the 21st century.