This talk was delivered at the 33rd World Design Assembly in Tokyo, Japan on October 28, 2023
The world is changing but are we ready?
What is humanity? Under international law it is defined as the means to protect life and health. But is this simply the preservation of our species or is humanity more nuanced, representing the collective that binds us together? From the Latin word humanitas we find the definition “human nature” and our innate ability to love, have compassion and be creative.
If you look at the state of the planet, it is easy to see we’ve lost ‘our humanity’ and our ability to love the place we collectively inhabit. Our future will depend on how compassionate we are to our environment and how creative we are to successfully adapt to the changes that are happening all around us. Designers need a call to arms.
Overwhelmed by rapidly accelerating technology and our addiction to digital and alternative realities, we are like frogs in a cooking pot as it slowly boils. Our world is changing due to the impact of our species upon the fragile ecosystems of our once thriving planet. The more we are disconnecting with our humanity, the more we ignore the real world changes facing our planet. We are in a moment of absolute urgency and we must work together to design a way forward.
The future will see more frequent and ever stronger natural disasters. These cataclysmic events take only a few moments to tear apart a community but generations to recover. How we respond to these disasters tells alot about the future. The true disaster is not often the consequence of the natural destruction, but the man-made mistakes that can happen in the process of trying to rebuild communities.
When we only commit in the short-term, we raise expectations and create false hope to communities suffering from tragedy. This short-termism undermines our ability to make a lasting difference and the lack of dedicated institutions means we will never have the capacity to lead in a world where natural disasters are a daily occurance,
For the past 25 years I have been blessed to be part of reconstruction teams that have responded to man-made and natural disasters, from housing refugees displaced by war to rebuilding villages affected by earthquakes and tsunamis. During that time I worked with a ‘rule of four’ in responding to man-made and natural disasters. In the first four days, the area needs immediate relief efforts; In the first four weeks engineering and building assessment team need mobilize and evaluate damaged structures; in the first four months a locally based architectural response team must work with community leaders, stakeholders, funders and professional institutions to help coordinate reconstruction efforts; and finally - the most important - team must commit to at least four years in the rebuilding process.
From 2011-2015, our Japanese team followed this principle. Dedicated multi disciplinary teams working alongside communities for years to support in the rebuilding of the civic and economic infrastructure. Our work, alongside a number of design NPOs, became a catalyst for change, helping enforce better construction practices and building codes, ensuring funding is distributed to affected communities. A decade later we need to evolve that methodology. We need a fifth rule - to ensure we rebuild to support healthier and more interconnected ecosystems.
A new series of disasters are upon us and we have a window to respond right now. Climate collapse is inevitable and we have allowed a bitterly divided public discourse and politics to dictate our future as a sustainable species on the planet.
This is why we have launched Worldchanging Institute, as a leading research and development institution focused on design solutions to humanitarian crises. The institute will lead a series of site specific projects in addition to expanding, Design Like You Give A Damn - the worlds’ largest database of humanitarian design projects
Additionally we are focusing our attention on areas of the world that are at the frontline of this change. The Atolls and islands of the Pacific Ocean have only a few decades to figure out their future, and in partnership with the Kwajalein Atoll Sustainability Lab (KASL), we are looking to support communities with a series of participatory design initiatives. In 2024 our institute will host a series of programs to engage architects, designers, engineers and an array of creative individuals to tackle real world challenges to these austere environments.
It is a very small effort in a monumental task, but we must start now. Whether it is through the Worldchanging Institute or another group, it is our hope that the worlds’ designers can come together collectively to show the best of humanity in a time when we are needed more than ever.