Design as a Mediator

This study explores how value-led design and the multi-level perspective (MLP) can mediate between scientific climate knowledge and traditional cosmologies to strengthen adaptation in Kenya's Maasai Mara region. The authors argue that this participatory approach advances equity by centering community voices and values, helping to create regenerative futures and safeguarding against maladaptation by bridging the gap between science and society.

• The study demonstrates that value-led design, utilizing the multi-level perspective (MLP) as a participatory reflection tool, can mediate between scientific climate knowledge and traditional cosmologies to improve adaptation. This approach allows pastoralist communities to reinterpret climate projections through their own cultural worldviews and identify adaptation strategies that are locally grounded.
• Value-led design promotes equity by centering community values and voices in decision-making processes. This methodology helps researchers and practitioners support the creation of regenerative, equitable futures that are both scientifically informed and culturally grounded, while acting as a safeguard against maladaptation.
• The authors argue that design, when treated as a systemic, participatory, and futures-oriented practice, serves as a critical bridge between science and society, and between short-term adaptation and long-term transformation, particularly within Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2026). Design as a Mediator. https://www.sei.org/publications/design-as-a-mediator/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Design as a Mediator. 2026. https://www.sei.org/publications/design-as-a-mediator/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Design as a Mediator |date=7 July 2026 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/design-as-a-mediator/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2026design, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Design as a Mediator}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/design-as-a-mediator/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }