Rewright this paper - Essay Example

The Manzini reading explains how changing society will result in a sustainable lifestyle. The wasteful lifestyle many have adopted must change. This change will not be possible unless we take several necessary steps. The first step is to realize we need to identify habits we have that are wasteful. We cannot continue to keep wasteful habits while making only small adjustments to these habits. This will not make us more sustainable. The next step is to start making small changes step by step.

These changes are best made by people within the society. Creative communities are groups of people that have dedicated themselves to discovering how to introduce new ways of eating, building and communicating to the general society. These communities are designed to discover new models of sustainable living through the creativity of the community members. All creative communities share some characteristics. The members of a creative community try to take care of their needs for things like education and health care within the community.

They try to provide for the needs of humanity at the local level and in a way that is safe for future generations. They think locally with the idea of setting an example of proper living for the nation. Some people say that creative communities isolate themselves from the rest of society. They say that this keeps them from influencing anything. This is not true, because member of creative communities participate in institutions of the larger society. This is how they share their ideas and experiences.

Creative communities are made up of committed individuals that want to change society. They are an important first step towards sustainability. For a very long time the term designer has had a specific definition. A designer was viewed as a person that made a plan and then other people were to follow the plan. Manzini challenges this view by saying a designer is anyone that acts in for change in society. Therefore, people who wear the title of designer as well as members of creative communities or regular citizens can be viewed as designers.

Traditional vies of design are still valid. Designers can operate within their areas of expertise. This way they can imagine and create those things that do not exist yet. What needs to change is the isolation of the designer. Design needs to be seen as a social learning process. In this view, the designer is more of a facilitator than a boss. The designer works with the community enacting change instead of directing the change. The designer needs to use the skills they possess to facilitate the changes.

This change makes the designer’s job more complex. Instead of seeing clients as a specific individual or group, the designer now needs to look at a broader set of actors. The designer facilitates from a position where institutions, creative communities and interested individuals all have opportunity to affect change. The role of the design school is to teach designers this new way of thinking and working. This will increase the ability of designers to help society change. Teaching designers to be flexible and focused is important.

Without these characteristics, designers will not be able to contribute to radical social change.