ICSID Calls For Design Solutions In Haiti Relief Effort
By Jeffrey Hyatt
In a global appeal following the devastation in Haiti, the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID) has launched a call to designers from all disciplines to unite in an open dialogue with international relief organisations to assess potential design-effective rehabilitation projects.
In support of the UN’s efforts to help the Haitian people overcome challenges in relation to the country’s reconstruction plans, designers, academics and design students, as well as experienced developmental workers are encouraged to join the discussion and become a fan of the ‘Uniting Designers in Disaster‘ page on Facebook.
Designers have a strong desire to support the relief effort; the forum is intended to help identify tangible opportunities and empower the design community to contribute to the cause.
ICSID President Dr. Mark Breitenberg:
“What we aim to do with the forum is engage designers to exchange information about initiatives and opportunities where they may contribute their design and problem solving skills.
In addition, we are hoping that the dialogue between the design community, development workers and representatives from international agencies will subsequently facilitate relief efforts, such as those currently being prepared by the UN to help the people of Haiti meet long-term stabilisation and reconstruction objectives.”
Breitenberg added that immediate goal is to gain a better understanding of the relief efforts needed in order to facilitate the development of design-led solutions that impact Haiti’s quality of life.
