BITS Design School in collaboration with RMIT, Melbourne hosted Care, Value, Place, a two-day conference at our campus in Mumbai. A group of experienced project leaders, together with expert contributors, collaborated to identify the practical steps to effect lasting, positive system change. The focus was on how design can serve communities that are already active in real-world, place-based projects. The event explored such emerging opportunities as urban ecological restoration, community-managed natural farming, new livelihoods in waste ecosystems, traditional knowledge and frugal innovation, two-wheeled commerce in 15-minute cities, and water systems and social hydrology.  

Care, Value, Place blurred boundaries between disciplines and expand cross-disciplinary collaboration among the natural and social sciences, engineering and technology, and design. The format of the event had 16 provocateurs presenting their projects to 40 contributors who then deliberated on how design could contribute to these projects. 

The first part of the first day of the conference had Dilip Gaur, Member, Board of Governors, BITS Pilani, Nandita Abraham, Dean BITS Design School, Andrea Siodmok OBE, Professor & Dean, RMIT University, P. Sainath, Founder Editor, Peoples, Archive for Rural India, Peoples Archive of Rural India, and John Thackara, Advisor, BITS Design School; Author, Curator & Professor, Tongji University share their thoughts and setting expectations and context for the event.  

Dilip Gaur emphasised the importance of design in nation-building. Nandita Abraham, followed by sharing the vision for BITS Design School and the School’s vision for the conference. Prof. Siodmok presented on Planetary Civics, a project to address the impact of the race to AI, the race to build, and the race to zero carbon. P Sainath provided insights into his work with the People's Archive of Rural India which publishes stories from rural India in 15 languages and strives to establish true equity rooted in rural India. John Thackara who has designed the conference, concluded the first session, explaining the thought behind Care, Value, Place, and how acts of care rooted in place can create value and contribute towards a healthier, happier planet. 

The full event agenda is as follows: 

Day 1, 18 Sep: Conference Opening  

Dilip Gaur, Member, Board of Governors, BITS Pilani 

Nandita Abraham, Founding Dean, BITS Design School - Greening minds for a greener future. 

Andrea Siodmok, Professor & Dean, RMIT University - Planetary civics initiative. 

Sainath, Founder Editor, Peoples Archive for Rural India - Invisible women: The rural in the urban.

John Thackara, Advisor, BITS Design School; Author, Curator & Professor, Tongji University - Designing for life, caring for place: Where planetary issues meet the hyperlocal. 

Regenerative Water Systems: Tradition Meets Innovation 

Vishwanath, Director, Biome Environmental Trust

Local and circular- Some designs of water systems in the era of climate change. 

The Social Life of Mobility 

Mick Douglas , Associate Professor, RMIT University  

Learning from Tramjatra: The social spaces of transport 

Avinash Kumar, Co-Founder, Quicksand 

Elsewhere in India: Live performance, video game & immersive experiences on ‘AI for Cultural Good’ 

Grassroots Livelihoods: Crafting and Recycling for Change 

Siddharth Hande, Founder & CEO, Kabadiwala Connect  

Addressing social inequalities and supporting positive, sustainable change in waste management and recycling systems in the global south. 

Ashik Krishnan, Member, Vikalp Sangam  

Alternative India - New livelihoods for local crafts. 

Day 2, 19 Sep: Opening 

Sandy Speicher, Advisor, BITS Design School; Trustee, Design for Good  

What kinds of work will designers be doing next - and how? 

Mayur Patnala, Founder & CEO, Nirmaan  

Place as the space of social change. 

Success Factors in Social Design 

Swati Janu, Founder, Social Design Collaborative 

Social Design Collaborative Building ‘Anganwadis’ (public day care centres) in marginalised Delhi. 

Samidha Patil & Kareena Kochery, Architects, Urbz  

Learning to Design from Dharavi. 

Design Support for Community-Managed Natural Farming 

Swati Renduchintala, Core Committee Member, National Coalition for Natural Farming Community Managed Natural Farming in Andhra Pradesh. 

Concluding Session 

John Thackara, Advisor, BITS Design School; Author, Curator & Professor, Tongji University  

Nandita Abraham, Founding Dean, BITS Design School 

Don Norman, Advisor, BITS Design School; Co-Founder, Nielsen Norman Group