Community-led design capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Fonseca Braga, Mariana; Filho, Eduardo Romeiro; G. Guimarães Pereira, Haddon; Tsekleves, Emmanuel; L. O. Mendonça, Rosângela Míriam

Abstract

COVID-19 threats have been impacting disadvantaged communities even harder. This paper looks into challenge areas and community responses to those in Brazilian informal settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic. These were identified through online roundtables with community members and representatives of NGOs in five Brazilian informal settlements. Our findings show how community members unconsciously design, deploying community-led (or diffuse) design capabilities to tackle COVID-19 challenges. These capabilities have been critical to coping with the immediate effects of the pandemic in communities. However, they are limited to short-term and reactive strategies. We argue that these natural problem-solving skills can be enhanced through a transition from diffuse to co-design capabilities to further harness community creativity towards better futures; extending community-led design capabilities into challenges and opportunity areas in a more strategic way for communities. This research contributes to filling the gap in design studies on how and to which extent communities unconsciously design.

Citation

Fonseca Braga, M., Filho, E. R., G. Guimarães Pereira, H., Tsekleves, E., & L. O. Mendonça, R. M. (2021). Community-led design capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In Design Culture(s). Cumulus Conference Proceedings Roma 2021 (2165-2181)

• Start Date: Jun 8, 2021
• End Date: Jun 11, 2021
• Acceptance Date: Mar 13, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Sep 28, 2021
• Publication Date: Sep 28, 2021
• Deposit Date: Apr 30, 2024
• Volume: 2
• Pages: 2165-2181
• Series ISSN: 2490-046X
• Book Title: Design Culture(s). Cumulus Conference Proceedings Roma 2021
• ISBN: 9789526490045
• Keywords: | COMMUNITY-LED DESIGN CAPABILITIES; CO-DESIGN; COVID-19 PANDEMIC; COMMUNITY RESILIENCE
• Publisher URL: https://cumulusroma2020.org/proceedings/
• Related Public URLs: https://cumulusroma2020.org/proceedings-files/DC(s)_PROCEEDINGS_full_vol2.pdf