This is a CTP of initiative: DESIS - DESIS Lab Florianópolis (Brazil)
Strategic thinking in design management, which is the thematic area where the laboratory is located in the university, had a very traditional way of producing knowledge. With this more common approach, one would start the project with a briefing and then go into defining the problem.
In 2010 the laboratory engaged in a community project in Alto Vale and the researchers were worried because they would be dealing with a different public then the usual. With this new concern, the briefing was done territorially taking into consideration the area, the residents and the particularities of that space:
"When researching within a region, the needed information is more complex, you understand what your project may affect and how it could be affected by all the territorial, cultural and social environments, there are many variables involved".
The design project became much more complex and that made the researchers look for new ways of working and new tools, because those used until then, more traditional sources, did not help in this new context:
"We had to maneuver behind mechanisms that allowed us to work with this perspective. Operating in the territory involved a lot of complexity. This change was an important factor because it brought us many challenges as well as the knowledge that has since defined our design intentions".
AMPE (Association of micro and small enterprises) is an institution that operates in different cities in Brazil. AMPE created proximity between producers and the lab and many of the participatory processes developed were linked to AMPE. Nevertheless, AMPE did not help with the process itself; it only facilitated the rapprochement with the groups that were attended by the lab.
As the group (the community and the project crew) discussed guidelines and claims, two primary demands appeared: food (production and marketing of food) and the textile industry (overall innovation and competitive advantage).
Once the needs were understood, the city hall and AMPE became supportive of the process. A set of municipalities and AMPE funded the project (covering logistical costs) and supported the projects key operational work with technical staff from the city hall and AMPE.
This kind of territorial approach to design management was already emerging in theoretical references since 2010 and was being discussed internationally. It was interesting for the NAS DESIGN Lab to be involved in this kind of approach in their work and at Vale Alto´s project. The researchers felt there was finally a chance to practice the theory that was already in place.
2010 - Partnership with external actor AMPE Alto Vale (Association of the Micro and Small Entrepreneurs from the Alto Vale) - NAS DESIGN started a partnership with AMPE.
2011- Partnership with city halls within the Alto Vale do Itajai region in Santa Catarina, Brazil - Intermediated by AMPE, the group started to work with city halls of cities from Alto Vale do Itajai, through the Alto Vale Project. This project was divided into subprojects with local initiatives, with the aim of stimulating local entrepreneurship and creating productive articulations within the same territory, in order to promote local development. The focus was to promote incremental innovation in systems of production and consumption in this territory, as well as promoting radical innovation through the creation of new local products.
2013- Developing of territory mapping - The lab started mapping local initiatives with this new procedure approach (terrotorial development approach) and gained recognition in the Alto Vale region.
2016 – Natal´s municipality Territory Mapping - Natal municipality (in the northeast of Brazil) was interested. They were disseminating the technology of territorial mapping for the recognition of regional qualities (Green map). They map local initiatives interested in using a diagnostic step for design projects for local development.
Internal researchers had difficulty with the challenges of logistics and costs. Many researchers have had difficulty in defining a research schedule as the financing of trips came from AMPE and municipalities, who could not always predict in advance when they would be able to afford this investment.
In addition, being away from the lab headquarter involved moving materials to and from the communities.
Researchers sometimes gave up being in the lab developing internal research because they lost a lot of time in the commute (about 2 hours to go and 2 hours to return). This generated a certain level of insecurity among researchers because the team was dependent on this finantial incentive promoted by AMPE and by municipalities.
From this, the group understood the need to spend more time in Florianópolis, but also to continue the studies in the territories. Therefore not abandoning the Alto Vale project, but decreasing the frequency of visits. Some researchers began to focus on territorial development of the Rio Vermelho Park, which was in Florianopolis, which facilitated the design process and promoted greater autonomy for the group.
This was not fistly seem as a CTP. There were many students wanting to get involved in the projects and with the lab. But at that time it was not understood that the project was changing the design logic in the laboratory towards a territorial approach. The territorial approach had been happening because the project required that kind of approach, it was not premeditated as a methodological procedure.
Due to this territorial approach, many students involved in the projects started to get involved in territorial development projects in their surrounding areas. Students looked for territorial improvement opportunities in their regions and this was a stimulus for the group and an unforeseen consequence of this territorial approach.
When the lab started being concerned with territories, it had to develop capacities that were not usually linked to design practice. First, researchers had to develop interpersonal communication skills. There was a need to adapt the vocabulary used in design that usually has foreign words into a more easy language for it to be understood by the communities. The language adaptation was very important to make the process understandable for the community and to make the territory understandable for the researchers. Also, they needed to translate the knowledge produced and systematize processes in a visual and simple way for everyone to participate in the collaborative process.
There was also the development of leadership – The roles of the designers in this kind of project are much more collective, the designer becomes a leader, a facilitator. The designers needed to motivate, to guide the project vision in a collective way and to promote results to the group.
Stay informed. Subscribe for project updates by e-mail.
