Global Design Futures Network
Initiated in 2021, The Global Design Futures Network(GDFN) is a global learning platform and network community for Design Futures, promoting interdisciplinary field construction in design and future studies. It was co-signed in May 2023 by the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, the Department of Design at Politecnico di Milano, and the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University.
This initiative aims to unite professionals in diverse backgrounds, cooperations and organizations to foster growth and collaboration in anticipating and responding to societal transformations. It involves joint advancement in the research of Design Futures methods and tools, employing future thinking approaches for global issues such as UN Sustainable Development Goals, anthropocene challenges, climate resilience, and future well-being.
Vision and Mission
We believe that innovation and creativity are helpful responses towards engaging with complex social issues such as amidst the rapid global changes. On one hand, we’ve witnessed incredible advances in technology, health, and wellbeing and so forth; and, on the other hand, we’re facing planetary level existential threats, climate emergency, income inequality, environmental degradation, and so forth. Therefore, the “Design Futures” community combines multiple fields and disciplinary perspectives ranging from philosophy, aesthetics, art, design, sociology and other fields to think about how to anticipate and respond to complex social issue. We use an innovation centered design approach. We are committed to providing an academic exchange platform for educators, researchers, practitioners, students and other cross-innovators in related fields around the world to explore advanced theories and discuss futures centered directions.
Value Proposition
lead
Experts from around the world join together to responsibly further the elevate the mission of education. We explore possible futures in our rapidly changing world from both global and local perspectives.
Hybird
As an interdisciplinary field, Design Futures combine multiple related fields to design futures, including: philosophy, aesthetics, art, design, futurology, sociology and other interdisciplinary fields to discuss methods and advanced theories for designing desirable and sustainable futures.
Succeed
We live in the Anthropocene era. Confusion and paradoxical situations abound. On one hand, we’ve witnessed incredible advances in technology, health, and wellbeing and so forth; and, on the other hand, we’re facing planetary level existential threats, climate emergency, income inequality, environmental degradation, and so forth.
