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Practising design in the context of development reflects the design discourse, which emphasises improving the quality of life for the wider communities in developing countries. In keeping with this direction, Interdesign-2005 initiated practices that incorporate the active participation of ‘rural village people’ who know their own needs. The goal is to fulfill these needs by creating sustainable solutions for rural transport vehicles and job creation. This poster is designed based on published conference paper .
2012 •
For the designer the challenge of designing a bicycle represents what could be regarded as the complete design problem. It represents by its very nature a close integration of user needs, abilities and characteristics, with technology. As the user is the source of power, there is a much closer synthesis of user-centred ergonomics and engineering design than is the case in the design of most transport devices. And as the complete bicycle, its components and mechanisms are usually all on view; form, materials, colours and image also play a crucial part in the success of these products. Because of its character as a very particular and complete form of design, encompassing and synthesising these areas, the design of bicycles provides an excellent opportunity to identify a range of design techniques and approaches. This chapter includes case studies that identify and illustrate the techniques employed by five creative inventor/designers as they have framed the bicycle design problem and...
2013 •
De Gruyter eBooks
Practice-Led Design Research (III): Reconfiguring Bicycle Mobility and Integrating It into the Transport System2022 •
Larsen, J., & Christensen, M. D. (2015). The unstable lives of bicycles: the ‘unbecoming’of design objects. Environment and Planning a, 47(4), 922-938.
Larsen, J., & Christensen, M. D. (2015). The unstable lives of bicycles: the ‘unbecoming’of design objects.An affordable bicycle-wheel wood-frame handcart has been developed in Malawi for use by smallholder farmers and by city dwellers for whom animal drawn carts are unaffordable or impractical or both. The Malawi Cart makes use of readily available materials and can be built by any carpenter possessing common hand tools. This paper explains why handcarts are needed, how the Malawi Cart was developed, aspects of handcart manufacture, describes preliminary testing and evaluation in Malawi and Kenya, and sets forth strategies for getting the handcart into widespread use in sub-Sahara Africa.
Design with the Developing World (DDW) brings a unique set of project challenges as it asks people with very different technological relationships to collaborate on sustainable system solutions. Scoping the level of backgrounds and equalizing experiences for a design project is therefore highly challenging, as there is little information on what needs to be considered in this vast collaborative and interdisciplinary process. This study identifies, and analyzes the barriers and enablers extracted from a selection of DDW literature, and clusters this data into core themes of user, designer and stakeholder interactions. As a whole, we find that DDW projects need to grow relationships between Users, Stakeholders, and Designers. Users, Stakeholders, and Designers all have very different relationships with each other, and must come to understand each other to create a new hybrid technology, as well as the supporting systems. Although some gaps exist between Designers, Users, and Stakehold...
Many Sub Saharan African countries still have dire transport needs. Children in particular are faced with mobility constraints in their quest to access, education, health and recreation. This study investigated the ownership and use of bicycles among children in Rural Ghana. The study was conducted in six rural communities within two ecological zones (forest and coastal). Both qualitative and quantitative data collections were employed within the context of a cross-sectional study design. A sample size of 454 was chosen among children aged between 8 and 18. Individual and households were used as unit of analysis where appropriate. Results from this study revealed that 36.4% of the households owned bicycles whilst usage was significantly higher at 63.9%.
Bicycle design history and systems of mobility
Bicycle design history and systems of mobility2017 •
Chapter published in Spinney, J., Reimer, S. & Pinch, P., (eds) Mobilising Design. Routledge 2017
2011 •
This paper focuses on how designers can contribute to enabling sustainable livelihoods in communities, especially communities of people with physical disabilities. Designing to enable sustainable livelihoods is a new area of design research and practice. Between 2007– 2010 I undertook a design research investigation with one of the most disadvantaged communities in a semi- urban area of Thailand. The aim of this investigation was to explore the role and potential contribution of designers for enabling sustainable livelihoods within such communities. It was undertaken as a collaborative project with nineteen community members who had physical impairment in the Samut Prakran province. This community had a long history of developing craft objects as a means for income generation. The objective in this research was to explore and trial the development of new approaches for income generation that would result in an alternative livelihood model for them; including transforming their capabilities and available resources in their community into positive outcomes. Transforming the designer’s role can have empowering effects on not only the participants and their community but also upon designers themselves. To do this, designers need to change their mindsets, attitudes, and behavior about their own role and that of the participants. The designers are no longer providers of a solution for the participants but rather agents of sustainable changes who have multiple roles as facilitators, enablers, innovators, and disseminators. The community participants are no longer passive recipients of a solution created for them. They need to have an active role in the research process to generate solutions which are then implemented in their community.
Economic & Political Weekly
"Spring Blossoms" vol lIX no 24 Economic & Political Weekly (June 15, 2024)2024 •
University of Mauritius
Leadership and Innovation in the Age of Industry 4.0: Harnessing Generative AI for the Next Productivity Frontier2024 •
2024 •
Saborni hram Svete Trojice u Vranju / Cathedral Church of Holy Trinity in Vranje
Riznica crkve Svete Trojice u Vranju / The treasury of the Holy Trinity Church in Vranje2008 •
Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas
Sensory integration: the body perception in chan chuang practiceCortes y parlamentos en la Edad Media peninsular, G. NAVARRO y C. VILLANUEVA (coords.), Murcia, Editum, Colec. Monografías de la Sociedad Española de Estudios Medievales. Serie Maior, nº 12, pp. 265-290.
“As cortes medievais portuguesas como lugar de discurso: a longevidade de uma interpretação historiográfica”2020 •
2022 •
Frontiers in Surgery
Combined Anterior and Posterior Decompression With Fusion for Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament2022 •
Revista de Saúde Pública
Influência das avós na prática do aleitamento materno2005 •
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Stable sets for exchange economies with interdependent preferences2017 •
Investigaciones Regionales - Journal of Regional Research
Evaluación del Programa Operativo 2007-2013 de la Política de Cohesión. El caso de Extremadura2017 •
Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work
Integrating Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment with HIV Services: Evidence-Based Models and Baseline Descriptions2014 •
Advances in social science, education and humanities research
Implementation of Education Quality Assurance Management in the Process Blended Learning2023 •