RSD9 was a symposium designed for unprecedented times. Ultimately held online during the fall of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Systemic Design for Well-being: From human to humane was a prescient theme. The online gathering created a place for pause and reflection, but also bold ideas and forward-thinking discussion.
The concept of well-being was treated expansively, extending from human to humane, and creating space not only for compassion and empathy but all living beings and cultures, the natural world and surroundings. RSD9 explored the connections between the well-being of our bodies, surroundings, and the planet. The outcome is a collection of over 50 presentations on design outcomes and programs informed by research, real applications, and practices to address problems in the unbounded complexity of social and ecological systems. RSD9 content can be browsed by subtheme or format (speaker, workshop, paper, gigamap, sketchnote).
RSD9 was hosted by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. The RSD symposia have produced a series of publications as proceedings and journal articles beginning with RSD2 in 2013. More information can be found on the Systemic Design Association website, along with professional updates and announcements on RSD10.