No abstract

The search for new methods and tools to successfully address sustainability challenges is gaining momentum, due to the growing awareness of sustainability issues. Over the past two decades, design thinking (DT) has become a phenomenon in a wide range of contexts, and has recently drawn research attention as an innovative approach for handling complex socioecological problems. This review paper analyzes DT processes covered in sustainable built environment (SBE) articles that focus specifically on DT and innovation, with a view to suggesting/developing an affective new model for sustainability research. The research design was developed following Denyer and Tranfield's method. The author reviewed documents using the evidence from all open access English language articles related to this issue between 2000 and 2022 identified using a Scopus database search in order to clearly identify and analyze the challenges and opportunities for innovation growth in SBE using a DT and innovation framework, 50 articles were selected based on the PRISMA statement and plotted on a modified Ansoff Matrix. This systematic literature review indicates that research regarding DT for innovation in SBE is challenged by the matter of how to identify new contexts and new solutions for future-oriented sustainability. It is also proposed that a wider range of stakeholders are required to help optimize the solutions being generated. The results reveal research gaps in integrating foresight and DT into sustainability research. A model of inclusive foresight design thinking (FDT) is proposed to guide future research to support the practical application and enhance the viability of DT in sustainability.

Over the past decade, the term “design thinking” has received increasing attention in a wide range of contexts and has become increasingly familiar beyond the professional design arena. Exploration of potential cross-boundary engagements and the role of design as an agent of change for both innovation and social transformation are two main mechanisms underlying the burgeoning discussion of design thinking in areas outside the design profession. This study provides an insight into the implementation of a design-thinking approach in non-designerly contexts. To investigate how design thinking is understood and applied in relation to non-designerly thinking, an analysis was undertaken of 345 articles from the Scopus database between 2002 and 2017 that included “design thinking” as a keyword. It was found that design thinking serves as a mechanism that enables and promotes innovation and social transformation. The results show that design thinking can foster new approaches to innovation as well as complex and persistent social problems through a framework of co-creation, systemic thinking, abductive reasoning, and iteration. The findings reveal that initiatives using design-thinking approaches can deliver positive outcomes in the fields of business management, social innovation, and education.

No abstract