Dundee, Scotland has taken an interesting approach to combatting homelessness in its city. The UNESCO City of Design has announced a forward-thinking competition challenging designers to find solutions to homelessness. And now is an appropriate time to attack the problem head on given that the approaching winter in Scotland can be ruthlessly brutal.
The competition is open until the end of November and designers living and working in any of the UNESCO Cities of Design (Bilbao, Spain; Curitiba, Brazil; Turin, Italy; and Helsinki, Finland) are eligible. What’s more, winners will receive a cash prize and 3 months residency in Dundee to help flesh out the winning proposal.
Dundee launches its first Design Challenge this year to beat homelessness. Photo courtesy of DesignDundee.
More specifically the competition is looking for a digital solution to the problem of homelessness. Designers are asked to curate a digital platform that will make the daily lives of homeless people easier by way of reconnecting them with family and friends, sourcing financial resources and food, and simply bettering their daily existence through digital tech. Given that most homeless people have limited access to digital tech, the initiative hopes to combat the issue of giving them access to fundamental resources online.
Dundee proposes public engagement workshops for the winners of the Design Challenge. Photo courtesy of DesignDundee.
Winners will receive studio/workshop space and work closely with the city of Dundee to bring the project full circle. Winners will also receive a £2000 monthly stipend and will also be given exhibition space for the winning proposal. The judging committee is looking for a few critical elements in a winning proposal: innovation, feasibility and how it realistically can be achieved.
The committee says, “We want innovative designers to come up with new ideas. From using public spaces, to apps, from new technology to reimagining old technology – and anything in between that can help people without a home to live their lives.”
The inaugural year of the Dundee Design Challenge is officially live and more information can be found here.
