ABSTRACT
Chapter 6 introduces the concept of the precautionary principle as a possible approach to evaluating design and the standard of care. Though the principle has its share of critics, it is viewed here as one way of assessing design outcomes as design proceeds and throughout its life cycle, but it starts with anticipating the impacts of design. The principle requires those engaged in activities that might present harm to people or the environment to intervene to mitigate or avoid such harm. When applied to sustainable design, this requires designers to think through the life cycle of what they design and consider not only the immediate outcomes but also the interest of the future. This is a daunting task.
Chapter 6 looks at the underpinning of the principle, its benefits, and its costs. The duty of the designer to prevent harm is discussed. The acts of design and the precaution are similar in that they are both forward looking and both project some model into the future. To a larger extent, designers are always engaged in a sort of precautionary principle, making effort to prevent harm and to avoid harmful outcomes. In this way, the precautionary principle might be seen as a more robust practice of what is already done.
