ABSTRACT
Design is growing in popularity within emergency management. At this moment of its early integration into practice, there is a unique opportunity to inform the responsible use of design from the outset. This chapter presents a design philosophy for emergency management through seven principles: (1) do no harm, (2) look through a defuturing lens, (3) think in systems, (4) work throughout the disaster risk management cycle, (5) build resilience, (6) everyone designs, and (7) design across levels. The philosophy supports the cultivation of the capacity to design, resulting in emergency managers becoming aware of their designing and gaining skills that can be applied to the creation of artifacts such as emergency operation plans, communications, and services that build resilience. Going beyond guiding use, the design philosophy also endeavors to change how communities understand and engage with their environment: this is history-making change, emergency managers can intentionally design a new future into being. This chapter provides a starting point, discussions around the use of design in emergency management and how this can be accomplished in an ethical manner will have to continue as the recognition of the role design can play within emergency management grows.
