CoDesign4Transitions

CoDesign4Transitions is a four-year doctoral network (2024–28) that brings together eight universities across seven European countries to train a cohort of 13 transdisciplinary doctoral candidates. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions of the European Commission, the network focuses on research at the intersection of co-design, design for sustainability, service and systems design, democratic innovation, and climate transitions. The Transition Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University was the only non-EU group invited to participate, reflecting the growing recognition of the importance of designing for transitions and the EU’s acknowledgment of the Transition Design approach.

Two-Day Transition Design Training

As part of the network’s first in-person training week, the Transition Design Institute developed and delivered a two-day workshop for doctoral candidates. Held on the campus of the University of the Arts London (UAL), the workshop introduced an applied Transition Design approach that participants could integrate into their research. The training combined theory with hands-on methods to provide a foundation for transition-related research.

Students received a 20-page manual before the workshop, focusing on food waste in Southwark and Sutton. This material introduced participants to the wicked problem of Food Waste and the key stakeholders in each borough, ensuring participants arrived prepared for deeper engagement.

Workshop Structure and Activities

Participants worked in teams to apply Transition Design methods to analyze the problem. They mapped it across five societal sectors—economic, political, environmental, cultural, and technological—to understand how different forces contribute to and sustain food waste. They then examined relationships among stakeholder groups, identifying power dynamics, conflicts, and collaboration opportunities.

Building on this, participants developed long-term future visions that multiple stakeholders might support, exploring what a more sustainable and just food system could look like. They mapped transition pathways, identifying steps required to shift from the problematic present toward their envisioned future. Finally, they designed an ecology of systems interventions—interconnected strategies supporting systemic change.

Impact and Learning Outcomes

This workshop provided practical tools for understanding complex systems and wicked problems. It helped participants engage with transition-related methods while encouraging reflection on systemic change. Beyond applying the Transition Design approach, doctoral candidates were introduced to frameworks and principles that will help them develop their own research tools and methodologies.