This Project based studio will focus on the intersection of food, design, and systems thinking. This Class looks through the lens of the multifaceted food system to develop scalable and actionable design outcomes that discover and respond to ruptures in the food system. Each iteration of this studio elective will address a particular theme as it pertains to food design. This year’s theme will be Food Waste. Outcomes will be comprised of prototypes and small scale design interventions.

Public policy is complex, often confusing, and it sometimes impacts communities in unequal ways. It affects each of us at almost every level of our lives, from how we navigate our cities to what we put in our bodies. Few of us understand the process of making policy but an increasing number of designers want to collaborate in this process to address problems they observe and amplify their efforts. Students in this course will consider many forms that these collaborations can take while working with graduate students from Milano’s Urban Policy Lab, civic leaders from NYC governmental and nonprofit organizations, along with the communities they serve. They will design, propose, and sometimes implement strategies that translate complex policy recommendations into forms that the public can better understand. In the process, they will learn how designers can effectively collaborate with civic leaders and organizations, they will design strategic approaches and engaging artifacts that help us better understand a specific policy, and they will consider the roles that designers can play to create and support public services. Lectures from visiting designers, policy analysts, social entrepreneurs, and thought leaders will complement readings and orient students in this expanding area of design.