Digital Design Project [ Sustainable ] - Gender Issues, Placemaking & The Purpose Economy

So, for the next few months at least, my blog has been hijacked by research for my masters.  The unit, Digital Design Project -Sustainable, is focused on rethinking the idea of design.  In an era of critical environmental, economic and social challenges this project aims to shift our focus from creating objects to creating frameworks that enable low carbon, zero waste, resource efficient behaviours to happen.  Over the course of the previous year my personal area of interest in digital design emerged as the human impact,  the social changes that have inevitably occurred as a result of new technology. So I am excited by this project and the potential it offers to explore social innovation.  In a previous essay I explored the group forming capabilities of the internet (as written about by a leading academic on the subject Clay Shirky) and have a sense now that these concepts will emerge again as I research and develop my own ideas around how technology can support strong local communities and 'grassroots' regional activities that relocalise production and consumption.As a mother currently working and studying  I am particularly interested in how gender issues relate to economic sustainability.  What role could digital technology play in supporting businesses and carers to return to work ?  Economic sustainability is about accessing resources to their best advantage to do this Prof Dianne Elson (globally renown feminist economist) argues that we need to shift the focus from the ideal worker to the ideal workplace. In her talk on ideas that change the world for women  shes argues the case for recognising and valueing unpaid work;  of the non market economy and it's contribution to economic activity.  She highlights that unpaid work provides vital input to the economy which goes unrecognised in statistics.  Carers, particularily women, are producing the workforce of the future.  She says "this is not just mother love, it is a key economic activity that is producing a key input for all our economies" and also discusses the "three Rs of unpaid work.  Recognition, Reduction and redistribution."I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when on the phone to AAMI sorting out an insurance claim.  It turned out I was on the phone to a woman who was actually working from home at the time.  This is a fantastic opportunity that technology has enabled.  Not only are they supporting carers who need to, or want to, go back to work but they are reducing waste.  Without the need to commute they are saving an average of 2 hrs per working day, reducing stress, the need for expensive child care and all the high carbon costs that go along with running a car etc etc...Other areas I am looking forward to delving into are the idea of The Purpose Economy and Placemaking and what the role of digital design might look like under these 2 overarching and overlapping philosophies.