“Designing for Billions,” a conference organized by School of Design Strategies faculty members Carlos Teixeira and Bruce Nussbaum as part of the Stephan Weiss Visiting Lecture Series at Parsons, examines new opportunities for designers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy makers and investors in the context of emerging markets. “Designing for Billions” specifically focuses on open innovation systems in India, Brazil, and China, analyzing the convergence of design practices, entrepreneurship, activism, philanthropy and venture capital in these dynamic emerging economies.
Prof. Lou Yongqi holds a PhD in urban studies from Tongji University, where he is Vice Dean of the College of Design & Innovation and Executive Director of the Sino-Finnish Center there. He also holds a visiting professorship in the School of Art and Design at Aalto University in Finland. Active in promoting interdisciplinary sustainable design education, research, and practice internationally, Lou sits on many design-oriented boards and advisory committees worldwide. In 2002, he founded the studio Tektao, seeking to deepen his research-based design practice; the studio has completed numerous projects in the areas of architecture, urban design, and exhibition design. Lou’s published works include the books Tektao Files (2007), Environmental Design (2008), and An Acupunctural Design Approach (2011). He is also the author of many published papers on urban planning, innovation, and design research.
João Tezza Neto trained in Economics at the Federal University of Acre, Brazil, and has pursued a career focused on sustainable economic development in the Amazon rain forest, specializing in the initiation and management of certification processes for forest products and services. As Director of the Department of Markets and Forest Extraction of Acre, he coordinated the construction of productive infrastructure and the preparation of business plans for forest products, especially Brazil nuts (1999). Neto participated directly in the creation of social criteria for the Brazil nut that were approved by the fair trade certification agency FLO International (2000). Subsequent positions have involved him in projects including the development of socio-environmental criteria for assessing the sustainability of fruit production across the Amazon. He currently serves as Technical-Scientific Director of Amazonas Sustainable Foundation, part of a team responsible for implementing the Bolsa Floresta (“forest allowances”) program in the Amazon Protected Areas, which rewards traditional communities for adopting alternatives to deforestation.
Sonia Manchanda is a graduate of the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India. As Cofounder and Principal of Idiom, one of India’s largest integrated design practices, she works in the areas of business design, brand identity, and visual communications, consulting with large corporations and small businesses alike, in sectors including healthcare, education, retail, hospitality, sports, media, and entertainment. Frequently involving civic values and public/private partnerships, Manchanda’s practice has included work on national cultural events, urban development initiatives, and the identity of the 19th Commonwealth Games held in Delhi in 2010. She is the creator of SPREAD, a radical design education and consulting initiative, and has played a lead role in DREAM:IN, an open source innovation project that employs design thinking to create value for life and society across the Indian continent.
The Journal for Design Strategies, an annual publication by the School of Design Strategies at Parsons The New School For Design, is now accepting entries for Volume 7, with the theme “Designing for Billions.” The deadline for abstracts is November 30th.
For more information, please visit our page dedicated to Volume 7 of the Journal of Design Strategies, located here.
Thank you everyone for your interest in “Designing for Billions”! With less than a week away, we’ve sold out the Kellen Auditorium! For those of you unable to get tickets, be sure to check back here after the event for updates including videos of the lectures and panel discussion.
Also, check out this article from panelist Bruce Nussbaum on Designers as Entrepreneurs, with references to the work of “Designing for Billions” speaker Sonia Manchanda.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665120/designers-are-the-new-drivers-of-american-entrepreneurialism
See you soon!
-The Designing for Billions Team
We’re just one week away from Designing for Billions, so be sure to get your tickets online on our Eventbrite page (http://designforbillions.eventbrite.com)!
We look forward to seeing you there.
