Nurturing Planetary Citizens: Developing Regenerative More-than-Human Pedagogy in Design Education

Since 2010, there has been a near 70% decline in UK pre-college/university pupils choosing design-oriented subjects, whilst the environmental-social-economic benefits of studying creative disciplines including design remain hugely undervalued. Given this stagnation, and with planetary limits ever closer to tipping point, more Sustainable Design pedagogic work is urgently required. However, much existing scholarship speaks to realising Sustainable Design strategies in commercial and organisational settings, as opposed to nurturing student’s knowledge and skills. In response, this presentation explores how the interrelated approaches of Regenerative, More-than-Human, and Speculative Design can coalesce as a substrate for facilitating next generation Sustainable Design teaching and learning. Building
upon established and emergent literature and resources like the Design Council’s
Skills for Planet Blueprint, the presentation uses an undergraduate module as a scaffold to discuss how educators can begin to support students in developing more sustainable and inclusive creative proposals – particularly with regards the environmental implications of powerful, pervasive digital technologies.