In just the past five years, we have witnessed planetary health concerns , loss of indigenous knowledge , migrant crises in India , declining bee population and children orphaned due to Covid . Complexity pervades every facet of life, entwining global issues, technological advancements and societal dynamics in an intricate web of interdependencies. Poorvi Garag equips design research to work with wicked social problems , by bringing together stakeholders from different backgrounds and disciplines . She strives to co-create support systems for those affected by these complex social problems and continually imagines better products , systems/services and experiences for all of us .
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1 In 2017, the The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health launched the Planetary Health Alliance Foundation. Through their research, they were able to establish that "human health and the health of our planet are inextricably linked, and that our civilization depends on human health, flourishing natural systems, and the wise stewardship of natural resources. With natural systems being degraded to an extent unprecedented in human history, both our health and that of our planet are in peril." Further, UNICEF Innocenti's Report Card 17, Places and Spaces, published on May 24 2022, reveals that all countries in the EU or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are failing to provide healthy environments for children.
2 The traditional territories of Indigenous Peoples cover about one-quarter of land on Earth, equivalent to an estimated 38 million km2. In Bidar, India, and ancient Persian underground water system has alleviated the 2017 drought, by harnessing the deep underground water channels to divert it to nearby human settlements. This indigenous water system dates back to 15th century and is now facing the brunt of urbanisation. Meanwhile, on March 23 2023, UNESCO held a side event conference for recognising Indigenous water Systems as pivotal to future water management methods.
3 India has about 450 million internal migrants, most of whom are intrastate rural migrants or seasonal migrants from neighboring states. Although migrant workers struggle to improve their socio-economic status, they are suffering from lack of stability and social security. A lot of their struggle has to do with policy choices and systemic exclusion of migrant workers. With a huge population, migration and reverser migration keep the socio-economic pressure on India high, which needs immediate attention from policy makers and government bodies.
4 US bee populations have steadily declined over the last few decades and in 2006, commercial bee colonies have received attention from the CDC to restore population stability, wild bees still are on the decline. Bee populations are decreasing due to parasites, pesticides, habitat loss, disease and even heat strokes from urbanisation. In the first half of 2023, USDA approved the first bee vaccination to further protect bees from Foulbrood- a deadly infectious disease.
5 An estimated 245,000 children in the US have lost one or both parents to Covid and globally, the number amounts to almost 10.5 million. The loss of parents can lead to extremely detrimental mental health issues for children that can have lifelong effects. The shock of the loss of a parent can create immense distance between the child and their caregiver.
6 Wicked problems are complex, multifaceted issues that lack clear solutions due to their interconnected and constantly evolving nature. These challenges often involve social, economic, and environmental factors and have far-reaching consequences on individuals and communities. Wicked problems are intertwined with many layers of society that can seem impossible to attempt to understand or fix.
7 The complex social problems that Poorvi primarily works with are related to policy and people across India, and now, the Netherlands. Design research is essential to her practice as she believes that before we can begin solving these complex social problems by understanding it from every possible perspective. Poorvi hold a deep respect for what empathy and kindness can provide to us in the face of crises, hence as a designer she is passionate about designing how we understand the world around us, which ontologically influences the design of the world itself.
8 Poorvi is trained in Industrial Arts and Design Practices from Srishti Institute of Arts and Design Practices, Bangalore. She uses Fusion 360 for CAD related work and Keyshot for rendering.
9 Wicked problems are complex, multifaceted issues that lack clear solutions due to their interconnected and constantly evolving nature. These challenges often involve social, economic, and environmental factors and have far-reaching consequences on individuals and communities.
10 Every strata of society and sector of business eventually boils down to the people running it. Poorvi focuses on the care for the lives of these people. Whether it is user research and design of digital or physical products or innovation based design research she believes that meaningful work happens people are at the centre of it. Beyond product and service based design projects for people, she dreams to empower, encourage and enable growth for each and every human.