I am the inaugural Faculty Director of the University of Michigan Center for Innovation in Detroit and a faculty member at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where I founded and led the Bachelor of Science in Urban Technology 2020-2026, and am now preparing to launch the Master of Urban Technology degree in 2027.
In my heart I am a designer, and the home for that work is Dash Marshall, where I lead our civic futures work, design quirky buildings, and make experiments like the very slow movie player.
Previously I've helped develop Makeshift Society Brooklyn, Helsinki Design Lab, and a web 1.0 startup called Deepleap.
I serve on the Board of Directors at Public Policy Lab and am always on the lookout for more #eaglepants (these are unrelated.)
We can stay in touch via telepathy, or email (if you're patient).
Books I've Written or Edited
Design for Social Innovation: Case Studies from Around the World
2021
takes the temperature of this newly-emerged field of design by presenting and analyzing 45 projects. In addition to the case studies, 7 roundtable discussions tackle contemporary issues in design: geographies of power, trajectories of international development, organizing the work, partnerships, mediums of change, measuring impact, and growth.
LEAP Dialogues: Career Pathways in
Design for Social Innovation
2016
features contributions from 84 designers, educators and thought-leaders from across the United States, each examining how and why the role of design is changing and how designers can create a positive social impact.
Legible Practices
2013
is about concrete projects that act as a trojan horse to create systemic change. This book tells the story of six projects from around the globe, ranging from the rebuilding of a town in Chile to the creation of a single website for all of the UK Government.
Brickstarter
2013
focuses on how crowdfunding and crowdsourcing are playing out in the built environment and includes a proposal for how they could become the starting point for a platform that helps all people have a productive voice in shaping the city together.
Helsinki Street Eats
2012
takes a systems-view of the problems and opportunities for street food in Helsinki. It makes the case that street food can make a positive contribution to economic development, tourism, urban quality, and lowering the city's carbon footprint.
In Studio: Recipes for Systemic Change
2011
documents the Studio Model, a workshop format and design process that I developed with my co-authors to help diverse teams grapple with wicked problems and develop opportunities for tangible action.