ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the pedagogical philosophy and curricular programming of Designmatters, the educational department of social innovation at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Designmatters engages in meaningful partnerships with high-impact organizations and challenges students to thrive in real-world, real-time educational experiences. The chapter also features Designmatters’ Safe Agua initiative, a series of courses hosted by the Environmental Design department. Through an immersive field research process and public interest design, students worked collaboratively with community members to identify solutions to social issues that arise from water poverty in Latin American slums. GiraDora, a human-powered clothing washer and spin dryer, was developed alongside residents of Cerro Verde, Peru, in 2011, and with further prototype testing and incubation, students generated a sustainable business model and social enterprise for the product.
