Designing for Humanity: Addressing Homelessness as a Wicked Problem

Shaelyn D. Shields

doi:10.7273/000008036

Interior designers carry the responsibility of creating spaces that are both beautiful and functional, while also meeting the needs of the client. Design theory provides a framework for this process by helping designers consider how and why a person holds certain values, opinions, and emotions when interacting with a space. This perspective ensures that design is done ethically, moving beyond personal preferences and instead design using a client’s unique experiences. This shifts the role of designer from simply decorating a space to thoughtfully designing a space that beautifully intertwines both aesthetics and functionality. Because design can have such a significant impact on society designers need to also look at the wicked problems the world faces today and work together to address these problems. As Buchanan (1992) explains, wicked problems are complex issues without a single solution. It is shaped by multiple systems that interact in separate ways. When looking at homelessness as a wicked problem, in particular it is intertwined with complexity. Beyond homelessness being a housing crisis, it also reflects deep social, economic, and systemic inequities. Approaching this problem through design theory allows interior designers to better understand its complexity and start to think about how thoughtful interior environments can help support belonging, equity, and comfort to some of the world’s most vulnerable and excluded populations.

Designing for Humanity: Addressing Homelessness as a Wicked Problem

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