Public Interest Design Publications

Available on

Public Interest Design Practice Guidebook: SEED Methodology, Case Studies, and Critical Issues

By Lisa Abendroth and Bryan Bell

Public Interest Design Practice Guidebook: Seed Methodology, Case Studies, and Critical Issues is the first book to demonstrate that public interest design has emerged as a distinct profession. It provides clear professional standards of practice following SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) methodology, the first step-by-step process supporting public interest designers. The book features an Issues Index composed of ninety critical social, economic, and environmental issues, illustrated with thirty case study projects representing eighteen countries and four continents, all cross-referenced, to show you how every human issue is a design issue.

Contributions from Thomas Fisher, Heather Fleming and David Kaisel, Michael Cohen, Michael P. Murphy Jr. and Alan Ricks, and over twenty others cover topics such as professional responsibility, public interest design business development, design evaluation, and capacity building through scaling, along with many more. Themes including public participation, issue-based design, and assessment are referenced throughout the book and provide benchmarks toward an informed practice. This comprehensive manual also contains a glossary, an appendix of engagement methods, a case study locator atlas, and a reading list. Whether you are working in the field of architecture, urban planning, industrial design, landscape architecture, or communication design, this book empowers you to create community-centered environments, products, and systems.

About the Authors

Lisa M. Abendroth

Lisa M. Abendroth is a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver in Colorado, USA. She is a SEED Network founding member, a SEED Evaluator coauthor, and a 2013 recipient of the SEED Award for Leadership in Public Interest Design.

Byran Bell

Bryan Bell is the founder of Design Corps in North Carolina, USA, and cofounder of the SEED (Social Economic Environmental Design) Network. Bell was awarded a National AIA Award and was a National Design Award Finalist. His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.

Join our mailing list to be alerted of future Institutes, future events, and to learn about the latest news in Public Interest Design.

"(Required)" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.