Co-hosted by Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the City of Vancouver | October 15 & 16, 2023

Unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, also known as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Implementing Vancouver’s new Climate Justice Charter requires new processes that centre collaboration, sharing power, and nurturing relationships. These draw from the fields of systemic design, social innovation, and equity-centred and decolonising methods. They serve as alternatives to standard policy-making, program delivery, and the public engagement processes typically used in local governments. Therefore, we are co-creating an experimental and experiential learning journey, which we embark on as researchers, students, civil servants, and community members working on designing just climate futures.

MORE INFO | RSD12-VANCOUVER

PROGRAMME

Using processes that draw from the fields of systemic design, social innovation, and equity-centred and decolonizing methods as alternatives to the standard policy-making, program delivery, and public engagement processes typically used in local governments, we will co-create an experimental and experiential learning journey that we are embarking on as researchers, students, civil servants, and community members working to design just climate futures. 

CONTEXT

Cities are facing increasing pressures to address complex challenges of climate change, equity, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as intersecting issues. Working on these challenges discreetly or solely within the dominant western colonial paradigm and governance practices is no longer enough. Ongoing harms are caused by climate work that does not embed justice, and there are missed opportunities for synergies across these domains as they have the same systemic root causes. Cities must adapt and transform the processes and practices they use to work alongside community partners to work at these problematic roots.

Skilful use of new and resurgent processes that centre collaboration, sharing power, and nurturing relationships with and amongst communities most impacted by a changing climate is needed to meet the calls to action and accountability for equity, justice, and reconciliation outlined in the first ever Climate Justice Charter for the City of Vancouver.

Systemic design theories, principles, and practices have much to offer—and Emily Carr University, and Vancouver, more generally, represent a hub where a unique and impactful relational systemic design practice is unfolding and contributing to climate justice work. RSD12-Vancouver aims to generate greater curiosity, visibility, and affinity with systemic design amongst communities, institutions, and networks. RSD12-Vancouver is dedicated to supporting collective efforts to experiment with implementing climate justice in and surrounding Vancouver; however, the explorations also contribute research and practice in equity-centred design and decolonising design and the connections between systemic design and sustainability transitions.

Contact:

Lindsay Cole lrcole@gmail.com | Laura Kozak kozak@eciad.ca

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This gathering is financially supported by the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, Mitacs, the City of Vancouver, and the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia.