Design for Change: Digital Tools and Games for a Sustainable Future

The Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment described pressing issues facing cities and people related to climate change, threatening human health, ecological systems, infrastructure, agriculture, and increased storm events.1 However, the report concludes by stating that while many impacts of climate change are unavoidable, much is still largely determined by our collective actions. The collaborative project Design for Change: Digital Tools and Games for a Sustainable Future is an transdisciplinary research project based on the belief that game-play and game-design are not only powerful ways to learn, but they also have the great potential to bring people together to share an experience that can impact them in significant ways. The project seeks to reframe problems related to environmental health as an opportunity for design innovation and community engagement, with the goal of building knowledge, generating collective optimism, and developing actionable solutions.Design for Change involves the development of climate change games by students of various education levels. The research question asks how can a pedagogy applying design and game-play help students better understand urban complexities and propose solutions related to the effects of climate change on the built environment? The collaborative research directly addresses the need for new approaches to educational practices and methods through the development of digital tools and game design based interactive learning to create a more engaging platform to learn about sustainability. This project combines the expertise of Dr. Renee Jackson, Assistant Professor of Art Education & Community Arts Practices, whose research is focused on learning about social justice through game-design and integrating games into curriculum and Gabriel Kaprielian, Assistant Professor of Architecture, whose research is on climate change adaptation of the urban environment.

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.110.43

Volume Editors
Robert Gonzalez, Milton Curry & Monica Ponce de Leon

ISBN
978-1-944214-40-1