About the Transition Design Institute
The Transition Design Institute is situated in the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University. The Institute is dedicated to advancing research, scholarship, and practice that catalyze societal transitions toward more sustainable, equitable, and desirable long-term futures. Since its inception, TDI has worked to establish a foundation for designing systems-level change, positioning itself as both a research institute and a resource and hub for dialogue, debate, and global collaboration. Beyond publishing original research, TDI faculty and researchers actively engage with scholars, activists, and institutions to explore new areas of inquiry and apply Transition Design principles in a broad range of contexts.
Research and Publishing Initiatives
Since 2015, TDI has been instrumental in helping to shape the broader discourse on designing for transitions. The Institute has contributed to a wide range of scholarly and applied publications, from peer-reviewed articles and book chapters to conceptual frameworks that inform practice. In addition to its direct research contributions, TDI collaborates with international partners to edit and publish special issues and thematic collections. The institute has co-edited two bilingual editions of the journal Cuaderno journal in collaboration with the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, further expanding access to transition-related scholarship.
Expanding the Scope of Transition Research
TDI actively supports the work of emerging scholars and practitioners, encouraging the evolution of designing for transitions through interdisciplinary research and experimentation. Doctoral researchers in CMU’s Transition Design program have advanced new perspectives through their dissertations and publications, often working across disciplines to integrate Transition Design principles into fields such as public policy, urban planning, and ecological restoration. Spanish-speaking researchers in the program have contributed to this discourse through initiatives such as the Design in Transition/Diseño en Transición podcast, which explores transition-related themes from a Latin American perspective.
Resources and Accessibility
Recognizing the need to make transition-related knowledge widely accessible, TDI provides an array of open-access resources. In addition to its formal academic contributions, TDI curates and shares self-published articles, conceptual tools, and teaching materials through its website and Academia.edu pages. The Transition Design Seminar website also serves as an evolving resource for those interested in Transition Design, offering structured insights, frameworks, and references that can be adapted for different research and practice contexts. TDI will launch an archive of doctoral dissertations related to sustainability transitions in the coming months.