Co-producing, curating and reconfiguring dwelling patterns: A design anthropological approach for sustainable dwelling futures in residential suburbs

Abstract

The increasing polarization of sustainability debates has enhanced the need for designers to re-engage with the politics of sustainable futures. This paper particularly explores these debates in (Flemish suburban) dwelling contexts, where sustainable development strategies such as densification and depaving trigger conflicts between dwellers, policy-makers, designers and organisations. We researched how a design anthropological approach could enable design researchers to go beyond polarization by collaboratively researching the politics of how dwelling futures are being shaped in people's everyday lives. We particularly explored the co-production, curation and reworking of dwelling patterns as an approach that can combine the situated approach of design anthropology and the dialogical approach of participatory design in engaging with the politics of everyday dwelling and dwelling futures.