20. Design Thinking and Cities

Everyone is talking about design thinking! But what, exactly, is design thinking? And how do these ideas relate to city making?  Design thinking is an increasingly valued skillset across a wide range of industries, with high demand for design-based skills in the workplace. Organisations are increasingly looking to theories of design to improve their businesses and the services and products they offer. But can these ideas also be applied to city making? Dr Martin Tomitsch is Associate Professor of Design and the Head of Design Lab at the University of Sydney. His research looks at how design thinking can be used to make better cities. Martin talks us through the design thinking process, within which the user-experience is central. "Design. Think. Make. Break." Martin Tomitsch In a world in which more than half of the population lives in cities, Martin is looking at new ways to engage with the smart city with design thinking. We’re talking to Martin about his new book Making Cities Smarter - Designing Interactive Urban Applications.