Designing systems of systems: Connecting resources and mapping assets for ecological citizen(s)

The transition to sustainable modes requires navigating existing services and resources. In this paper we specifically argue for the role of design to rethink ‘system within systems’ but that this requires a fundamental understanding of ecosystem services. Our approach builds on The Green Skills gap, defined as ‘the knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live, develop and support a society which reduces the impact of human activity on the environment’. We reframe this ‘gap’ through the concept of ‘Ecological Citizenship’; by connecting opportunities with communities, enabling localised propositions, empowering citizens to benefit their contextual circumstances. Design (as a practice/tool) is becoming more democratised, accessible and systemic. Specifically, the designer’s role of ‘connector and convener’ is one of four drivers, in The Design Council’s Beyond Net Zero to help the gap in understanding between theory and implementation, in addition to the skills gap. In this paper we present an analysis of award winning UK and Nepali examples which sensitively comprehend what mapped resources and environments can be nurtured/protected. It looks for Systems of Systems: Connecting Resources and Assets for Ecological Citizen(s) through non-formal communities, charitable organisations, and sustainable businesses which embody the Quintuple Bottom Line, (Profit, People, Planet, Purpose and Place). It positions collaborative insights, and navigates ‘system to system’ crossovers, green assets with sensitive non-extractive design insights. We believe that identifying and aligning reciprocal systems can be regenerative, mutually beneficial. This contemporary ‘design-led review’ unpacks ‘strategic overlaps’ of these examples which embed a fundamental understanding of ecosystem services. The objective of our analysis is to identify and ascertain pertinent metrics (within civic and business) which sensitively comprehend what mapped resources and environments can be nurtured and protected. We thus propose that design is a key tool to leverage transformative change that can support and sustain ecosystem services.