Roles of design in sustainability transitions projects: A case study of Visions and Pathways 2040 project from Australia

Sustainability transitions require structural and systemic changes. Transitions research poses creative as well as analytical challenges due to high complexity and uncertainty associated with these projects. In this article we present an initial and exploratory investigation of roles design plays in transition projects focusing on Visions and Pathways 2040 (VP2040) project as a case study. VP2040 aims to develop visions, scenarios and pathways for low-carbon resilient futures in Australian cities. The project adopts a design led approach, linking research and engagement in design-led future visioning. Our findings indicate that the roles design can play in sustainability transitions projects is various covering very tangible, technical, skills-based roles, to very intangible roles, relating to how information is received, processed and synthesised. Our findings also imply that, increasingly more, design practitioners will need to bring in skills and knowledge that have not been part of conventional design education, and therefore, institutions providing design education need to start developing and implementing curriculums that will equip graduates with these new professional capacities. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.