Design shapes the world, can save us from disaster

Bruce Mau wants to help shape a better future for all of us and he believes it can be achieved through the power and practicality of design. 

The renowned Canadian designer is known as a visionary when it comes to pushing frontiers. In 2010 he established The Massive Change Network. Its goal is to help people design the world they want to live in. So why do so many people think design is being limited to the world of architecture or product development?

Charettes are a way of approaching problems by thinking like a designer. Designers use so-called charette workshops to transform organizations and communities. We heard from:

• Bill Lennertz is executive director of the National Charrette Institute. 
• Zahra Ebrahim is a Toronto-based design consultant. She talked about a successful charette she ran in East Toronto. 

One charette we hear about includes dozens of young people were involved and their design ideas helped to transform jail cells in an aging police station, into a thriving community centre called the East Scarborough Storefront. 

• Antenehe Alemu is one of the participants in the charette that worked on creating the East Scarborough Storefront.

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