Tuesday, 21 March 2006 | Levent OZLER
Urban Sustainable Design Studio: Chicago, Summer '06
The Foresight Design Initiative (aka o2-Chicago) is offering a program this summer that may be of interest to you, or to others with whom you work and/or teach. For the past four years, Foresight has hosted an Urban Sustainable Design Studio (USDS) during the month of January. Intended to provide participants with the type of broad knowledge, hands-on experience, and professional connections to become leaders in sustainability-related fields, USDS is being offered as a full-time, eight-week intensive program in Chicago from June 12 to August 4 (application deadline: April 14).
Details, including a downloadable program packet and application, are available at:
http://www.foresightdesign.org/usds/
The program is open to anyone college-age or older serious about gaining experience in how to research, devise and implement more sustainable solutions to a range of issues in an urban context. As is detailed in the online information, the program involves working on several "real world" projects, including those for external clients. Field trips, guest speakers, weekly readings and discussions, and regular networking events complement and contextualize project work. Unit topics include:
--Ecological & Social History of Chicago
--Introduction to (Holistic) Design
--Redefining Value
--Socially Responsible Design
--New/Evolving Business Models
--Public Speaking/Presentation
Stressed throughout the program are:
--Learning by doing;
--Thinking as a design entrepreneur;
--Framing complex problems and designing holistic solutions;
--Identifying and overcoming barriers to implementation;
--Communicating new ideas effectively and professionally;
--Making connections and using a network to fuel creativity;
--Researching and approaching funding sources;
--Working in multi-disciplinary teams, as well as independently;
--Reading foundational texts on relevant topics.
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