liquid times
the world is in a period of massive transformation. the signals are loud and profound. from the accelerating impact of climate change to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, the 21st century is disrupting rules and norms at hyperspeed.
for design, the changing landscape is an opportunity to consider a post-capitalist world where striving for continuous growth is tempered by a reset of what we value.
commons-based approaches: Creating shared resources and infrastructure that belong to communities rather than private entities. This includes open-source software, community gardens, tool libraries, and collaborative spaces where access isn't mediated by purchasing power.
Participatory and Co-Design: Involving affected communities directly in the design process rather than designing for them. This shifts power away from extractive consultant models toward genuine collaboration where communities control their own development.
Degrowth Design: Focusing on sufficiency, durability, and local production rather than endless growth and consumption. This means designing for repair, reuse, and longevity rather than planned obsolescence.
Gift Economy Models: Systems where value flows through giving rather than exchange, like Wikipedia, community skill-shares, or mutual aid networks. Design here facilitates generosity and reciprocity rather than competition.
Cooperative Ownership Structures: Worker cooperatives, housing cooperatives, and platform cooperatives, where ownership and decision-making are shared among participants rather than concentrated with capital holders.
Biomimetic and Circular Systems: Drawing inspiration from natural systems that operate on cycles rather than linear extraction. This includes permaculture design principles, cradle-to-cradle manufacturing, and closed-loop resource flows.
Time Banking and Alternative Currencies Systems that value time equally regardless of the type of work, or local currencies that keep wealth circulating within communities rather than being extracted.
note: sociologist zygmunt bauman writes prophetically about our transitional era in “liquid modernity” — recommend reading.
