Design for whom? Climate Change Adaptation as Situated Knowledge and Experiences

Climate change already affects our daily lives, for instance through the occurrence of more frequent and longer heatwaves. People’s lives are affected in varied ways, as particular groups, including adults above the age of 65 years old, are more vulnerable to heat stress than others might be. Considering different kinds of inequalities, abilities and access are of great importance when thinking about design amidst and for climate change. However, some of the adaptation methods and tools are accessible only for privileged groups. The air-conditioning is an interesting example. While providing a good adaptation to urban heat for a selected few, it exacerbates the problem for everyone else in the long run. This paper argues for considering varied inequalities and people’s situated knowledges and experiences when designing adaptation to urban heat and climate change.

The text is available in the new journal, Projektowanie, here.