Providence to Host Annual "A Better World by Design" Conference

Providence to Host Annual "A Better World by Design" Conference

Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) students will invite a global community of innovative thinkers, professionals and students to Providence to share and create new experiences in social and environmental design.

“A Better World by Design” is a three-day, internationally acclaimed conference that takes place for the third year October 1-3, 2010. More than 500 guests from around the world will gather on the campuses of Brown and RISD to discuss innovative solutions to extreme poverty, access to basic resources, environmental degradation and the future of infrastructure. Global leaders from the fields of architecture, design, engineering, economics, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, business, politics and global development will converge to discuss design’s role as an integrative application for world improvement.

Building on past successes, looking forward

“We’ve focused on building more collaborative platforms for this year’s conference,” said Lillian Mathews, Brown ’12 Environmental Studies, one of the conference’s chief organizers. “New faces and skill sets enrich the conference dialogue and allow for greater partnership opportunities between disciplines. A Better World by Design offers the opportunity to add to the pot of innovative ideas in a uniquely intimate environment.”

The conference will feature speakers, panelists and workshop leaders who develop trailblazing solutions to pressing social and environmental problems. Speakers include Robert Fabricant of Frog Design, serial entrepreneur Lisa Gansky and Anil Gupta of the Honey Bee Network. In addition to the world-class lineup of speakers, the conference

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

features 12 intimate panel sessions where conference attendees work alongside leaders of local and international communities. Panels will introduce new ideas in integrative design methods and tackle contemporary problems like sustainable economies, urban transit, disaster-resistant housing, and arts and activism.

Student design challenge: solve food deserts

In addition, the 2010 conference will unveil the first-ever winners of the Better World Challenge (BWC). The BWC is A Better World by Design's inaugural student design challenge that focuses on finding an implementable solution to food deserts - areas with limited to no access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. The conference will also host the second year of the One-Hour Design Challenge with Core77, the award-winning international industrial design blog. Providence's The Steel Yard and the Box Office will host weekend social events and an art gala.

The conference also boasts several workshop and tour sessions that invite attendees to work on local social and sustainable design projects aimed at improving the Greater Providence community. These sessions utilize Providence’s forward thinking attitude and rich history for innovation as a case study to model worldwide.

For more information or to register, go here.