By David Swann
Each year, design creatives, business leaders, and government officials gather to explore how design can be a powerful force for positive change at the Design for Planet Festival. The event is organised by the Design Council, the UK’s national strategic advisor for design. Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Art hosted the festival this year. I attended both as a researcher attached to the INFUZE project and as a Design Council expert.
Minnie Moll, Chief Executive of the Design Council, set the tone for the day with her opening speech noting that, when it comes to sustainability, the most impactful choices we can make are often those that already exist. Moll touched on a key issue – our obsession with the “new.” She emphasised the urgent need to reframe our ideas of progress, shifting from a culture of relentless innovation to one focused on refining and optimising what we already have.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, echoed this theme as he shared his vision for transforming the city into the UK’s greenest region. He highlighted the importance of a systems-thinking approach connecting health, transportation, and urban development. He believes that by thinking holistically, they can do more than just improve city’s infrastructure. They’ll also create value for communities and high streets, and cultivate a skilled and resilient workforce. Burnham offered a challenge to the traditional model of urban design: “If you intend to design for the planet, you’ve got to start building for public transport, not building for the car” and to “re-imagine our existing towns within the constraints of the existing infrastructure.”
Embracing a new approach
Listening to these two speakers reminded me of Italo Calvino’s book Six Memos for the Next Millennium. In it he invites us to escape the weight of the world by viewing it differently. He advocates for transformation by discovering our lightness – an approach that feels more relevant than ever.
“the sudden leap of the poet/philosopher who lifts himself against the weight of the world, proving that its heaviness contains the secret of lightness, while what many believe to be the life force of the times – loud, aggressive, roaring, and rumbling – belongs to the realm of death, like a graveyard of rusted automobiles.”
Delivering any vision in a climate of uncertainty and volatility is undeniably challenging. Yet, by recalibrating our mindsets and unleashing our creativity, we may find that “better” is the lightest path forward. Perhaps pioneering projects such as INFUZE can offer a roadmap for others to follow.
If you live or work in Leeds please take a few minutes to share your thoughts on your neighbourhood, your travels and your hopes and fears for the city’s future.
