Commoning by Design Exploring the Commons to nurture organisational stewardship practices towards regenerative economics

In the face of converging global crises—climate change, conflict, and social injustice—the need for change has never been more urgent. Human health is intricately linked to the integrity of our planetary ecosystem. However, the dominance of neoliberal individualism and economic rationality has led to significant environmental degradation, including deforestation, pollution and biodiversity loss. The planetary challenges we face require us to rethink our design approaches to enhance systemic relationships, promote reciprocity, and acknowledge the significance of multi-species landscapes and cultural pluralities. This context underscores a critical argument: contemporary design practices that are narrowly focused on human perspectives may reinforce anthropocentric solutions, further exacerbating environmental challenges. Consequently, this thesis investigates planetary health challenges within contemporary design—approaches that prioritise relationality, planetary health, pluralities, and decentralisation—exploring the commons as a relational framework for systemic transition within a capitalist economic context.

Drawing from Elinor Ostrom's Nobel Prize-winning work on cooperative group dynamics, the research aims to broaden understanding of 'Commoning by Design' among designers and change-makers. By exploring the commons as a relational framework for system transition, the study seeks to address knowledge gaps in contemporary design practice (Working hypothesis 1), examine the limitations of neoliberal economic paradigms on designers' imagination (Working hypothesis 2), and explore the potential of commoning principles to improve collaborative governance (Working hypothesis 3). The corresponding research questions investigate how commoning—defined as the collaborative processes wherein individuals collectively manage and share resources, knowledge, and responsibilities, fostering a sense of shared ownership and sustainability—can fill information gaps, shift design towards a regenerative paradigm, and inform the creation of stewardship practices. Notably, this research contributes to the design and commons-based discourse by emphasising the unique application of commonstheories and practices within a capitalist context, particularly in relation to transitioning towards regenerative economics.

The initial stage of the research involved exploring literature across design theory, systems theory, posthumanism, the commons and economic theory. The objective was to identify a theoretical framework that incorporates the research aim, working hypotheses, and research questions. A scoping review informed the empirical research design, ensuring real-world relevance. This process resulted in a preliminary outline for applying commoning principles to contemporary design. Moving to the third stage, practice-based research focused on an organisational ethnographic case study within a global sportswear manufacturer, investigating how commoning principles could advance service design practices within existing organisations. In the final reflection stage, the case study findings were evaluated in relation to the working hypotheses and research questions, resulting in the creation of 'Commoning by Design' artefacts. This assessment aimed to determine the potential effectiveness of applying commoning in contemporary design practice as a relational framework for planetary health. The discussion that followed explored a tiered approach to economic implementation and delved into the potential risks of co-optation.

The thesis results in the development of practical resources—a commoning compass, canvas and a set of commoning cards—intended to guide the design community in creating collaborative infrastructures rooted in planetary health. Three pivotal findings emerged from the study. First, commoning uncovers hidden, complex elements within systems, contributing to the resolution of knowledge and information gaps. Second, commoning inspires redesigning design, prompting reflections on systems that involve both human and non-human entities. Third, commoning provides a set of heuristics that empower designers to shift focus from creating solutions to designing conditions for improved stewardship practices. It is argued that embracing the commons within contemporary design can challenge our prevailing neoliberal paradigm, urging designers to prioritise collaboration, shared ownership and community wellbeing over profit-driven, individualistic models.

While design practice can draw inspiration from the commons, the research found it is crucial to recognise that commoning itself requires intentional design, too. Deliberate acts of commoning can be realised through creative and participatory design activities within current economic structures, ensuring that key principles are integrated into the development of innovative solutions. For design practitioners and researchers, the significance of this research lies in leveraging the commons as a heuristic, guiding design towards collaborative infrastructures and ‘ready-ing’ change. Common scholars can appreciate how creative design practices support the proactive implementation of commoning principles when developing new approaches to address planetary health. While the analysis acknowledged possible limitations of the commoning framework within the context of current economic structures, the findings pave the way for future research exploring the intersection of design practice and the commons as a strategy for social transformation and sustainable living within the Earth's biophysical limits.