[Eng] Cosmopolitan Localism and Trust

Recently, I am interested in the role of design for social innovation. Last month, I have known an Italian designer, Prof. Ezio Manzini, who wrote his book, titled "Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation".

I have not yer read this book until now, but tried to watch his lecture video on this book. I learned the viewpoint of designer on social innovation, especially from social problems to social sustainability via social innovation.

There are many points as he mentioned about the role of designers for social innovation. In different ways from it, I have learned the same thing as the role of facilitator or catalyst as strangers to local community. The basic role of designer looks like the same as that of facilitator. 

Especially, I focused on his word "cosmopolitan localism". He tries to avoid extreme "globalization" and extreme "localization". Local community should keep a kind of equilibrium between them and here is the role of designer. Designer takes a role to create the narrative together with local community to keep openness to outer world. In this process, the designer should not be the main actor but be supporter for local community to create its own innovation by itself.

But how is the way for the designer to do it? I think the key point is trust. Without any trust from local community, the designer cannot do anything.

Co-working and co-creating process makes local community trust the designer as stranger. But it is not always true, I think.

Under the question and answer session, one participant ask about trust to Prof. Manzini. Unfortunately, his answer was not so clear about trust building. It depends on the way of approach by outsider whether or not he can get trust from local community.

The key point of facilitation by designer or facilitator from outside is sincere respect to local community and local people. Social innovation cannot be planned by outsider but is realized by the process with local community. Trust is definitely important in the process for social innovation. Without trust, no cosmopolitan localism.

So, now I prepare to read the book of Prof. Manzini.

Fukushima Railway Station and Trains. My Hometown.