You are invited to the Globalization, Transnationalism & Development Colloquium:
“How to ignite change – and how not to overpromise…”
By Prof. ir. Jeroen van Erp, TU Delft, Faculty Industrial Design Engineering
When: Wednesday 12 June, from 15.30-17.00
Where: Spiegelzaal, GG 80-82
Abstract:
You don’t need to be a visionary to see that humanity faces huge challenges. They are seen and recognized by governments, NGOs, industry and citizens. They all agree but it is remarkable and frustrating that change is going slowly. That has everything to do with the wickedness of the problems. Many of these problems – amongst others climate change, the refugee problem, increasing urbanization and healthcare – have similar characteristics. These so called grand challenges are multi-stakeholder by nature, they cross the private and public domains, there is often a lack of an enchanting vision, there is a big restraint towards experimenting and they lack clear ownership. And the most important show stopper: the challenges are larger than life, it is hard to get an overview. The only way to tackle these problems is to look and intervene at a system level by creating visions and prototyping solutions. As designers we believe in a knowledge driven approach, collaborating with all stakeholders, trusting creativity and acting courageously. To meet the challenges of the future, we need people who dare to explore different ways and at the same time are able to light the way. We have to be idealistic enough to bring real change and be pragmatic enough to realise it. This talk will give you an insight in the world of the designer and how she/he can contribute to change.
