8.1 Public Design Education: Plural Practices and Situated Teaching and Learning

Corresponding Chairs

Lara Salinas Alejandre, University of the Arts London

Luis García, Carnegie Mellon University

Co-Chairs

Sofía Bosch Gómez, Northeastern University

Geert Brinkman, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Estefania Ciliotta Chehade, Northeastern University, Center for Design

Francesco Leoni, Politecnico di Milano

Abstract

As the field of Public Design—design in or for government—continues to evolve across academia, government, and civic sectors, there is growing interest in how designers learn to inhabit public roles and become public designers. This track foregrounds learning as a dynamic, situated, and relational process that unfolds across institutional contexts, professional identities, and diverse learning encounters. 

This track positions public design as a vital site for design research, asking how designers develop the political sensitivity, collaborative reflexes, and systemic awareness required to act effectively within and alongside public institutions.

We invite contributions that:

• Explore alternative, experimental, and critical approaches to teaching and learning public design, whether in formal education, grassroots networks, civic spaces, or embedded public service roles.

• Challenge the idea of public design as a singular or universal practice, instead foregrounding its pluriversal character: how public design is shaped, practiced, and transformed across different geographies, cultures, and political realities.

• Examine the ontological and epistemic journey of becoming a public designer, as well as the organisational capabilities and professional competencies that support this process.

• Articulate perspectives that highlight local knowledges, plural epistemologies, and contextually situated practices, fostering a more inclusive and global conversation about public design learning.

Keywords

Public Design, Design for Policy, Service Design, Design in Government, Design Education, Pluriversal Design

References

Kim, A., van der Bijl-Brouwer, M., Mulder, I. J., & Lloyd, P. A. (2024). Stabilizing design practices in local government. International Journal of Design, 18(3), 45-59. https://doi.org/10.57698/v18i3.04

Morelli, N., de Götzen, A. and Simeone, L. (2021) Service Design Capabilities. Cham: Springer International Publishing (Springer Series in Design and Innovation). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56282-3.

Salinas, L., Grimaldi, S., Escalente, M. A., Ali, H., Lagedamont, M. and Prendiville, A. (2023) ‘Teaching Service Design: pedagogical reflections’. In ServDes2023, 11-14 July 2023, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. https://doi.org/10.3384/ecp203010.

Junginger, S. (2014). Design legacies: Why service designers are not able to embed design in the organization. Design and Culture, 6(1), 8–26. 

Kang, I. and Prendiville, A. (2018) ‘Different journeys towards embedding design in local government in England’. In ServDes2018, 18 - 20 June, Milan, Italy.