Co-design and Social Innovation for Climate Neutrality

Dear Colleagues,

Climate neutrality is an urgent and complex challenge that cannot be reached with top-down technological solutions alone but requires multidisciplinary knowledge and citizens-centered solutions for systemic change. Social innovation is increasingly valued for its transformative role in promoting people-centered approaches through co-designing solutions for the systemic change of socio-cultural systems. Departing from technological solutions and top-down policymaking, user-centered solutions and services requires the involvement of networks of actors and the ability to co-design solutions, learn from experimentation through appropriate and relevant assessment methodologies.

The aim of the Special Issue is to foster a discussion of the role of co-design and  social innovation, service design and policy design for reaching carbon neutrality through a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach. We welcome papers based on theoretical, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies which reflect and provide evidence of the relevance and need of considering design approaches and people-centered solution to reduce GHG emissions.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Co-design and social innovation impact measurement, impact pathways, indicators and SDGs
• Design for transition
• Case studies and best practices of co-design and social innovation projects for climate neutrality at urban, reginal, and national level.
• Sense making and learning from large-scale experimental sustainability projects
• People-centered evidence-based policy design for climate neutrality
• Indicators of behavioral change for sustainability
• Citizens’ participation and public service co-design for climate change
• Design of communications and reporting of social and environmental impact of projects and policies for sustainability
• Co-design and social innovation in circular economy
• Participatory design, co-creation, inclusive design for sustainability and wellbeing.

Research in this area can contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular to climate action (SDG 13), by promoting sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11) and responsible consumption (SDG 12), through partnerships (SDG 17) with the final goal to increase health and wellbeing for all (SDG 3), as well as to the New European Bauhaus – the interdisciplinary initiative connecting the European Green Deal to living spaces and experiences.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sabrina Bresciani
Prof. Dr. Francesca Rizzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• design for transition
• Social Innovation
• service design
• co-design
• sustainable behavior indicators
• citizens participation
• cross-sector partnership
• social impact