Designing for life, for real

The core of my work is to seek out inspiring people who are designing for life, for real, in diverse contexts. I write about their work in books (12) and online (900+ blog posts). In keynote talks, I explain what you can do, with others, to help them thrive. I help universities develop innovation and design projects. I curate festivals and biennials which bring these project leaders together. Between times, together with my partner Kristi van Riet, I host Retreat-MeetUps at our house in France.

From 2026, I am Senior Advisor to Prof. Lou Yongqi at Shanghai University of Engineering Science, where he is president. We will focus on the Design Harvest 3.0 programme. (This builds on my work as a professor at Tongji University since 2019. There, I curated the Urban-Rural Reconnection expo in Shanghai, in 2019, and co-wrote the DesignS Manifesto). I continue to serve on the editorial board of She Ji; advise PhD students in the SustainX Lab; and work with the Ecology & Cultures Lab of Prof Valsecchi.
thackara.com/urbanrural/research-statement-for-tongji-university/

Care, Value, Place is a two-day annual event that I have co-curated since 2024 with BITSdesign. We invite grassroots project leaders to discuss how design might serve their real-world, place-based projects. (In 2026, I continue to serve on the Advisory Group of BITS Design, the new design school in Mumbai founded by Kumar Mangalam Birla, and led by its Dean, Nandita Abraham)
bitsdesign.edu.in/news/care-value-place-conference-mumbai

How best can design serve bioregions, and urban-rural relationships? At the invitation of Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam, OBE, I’m visiting professor at Rural Lab on the Altyre Estate, in Scotland, site of the Glasgow School of Art’s Highlands & Islands Campus. In 2026, I will be also a guest critic for a fifth year at the GSA’s Winter school convened by Professor Gordon Hush and led by Professor Albert Fuster.
gsainnovationschool.com/winter-school

Bioregioning reminds us that we live among watersheds, foodsheds, and fibersheds – not just in cities, towns, or ‘the countryside’. In 2026, I will continue to help Isabel Carlisle, founder of the Bioregional Learning Alliance, develop design courses for early and mid- career professionals.
https://bioregion.org.uk/meet-the-team/

Many small villages in Europe have been suffering from depopulation – but the tide is turning. In 2020, together with Andrea Paoletti and the Casa Netural Foundation, I helped found the Open School for Village Hosts, a community of practice for mid-career professionals. In 2o26, OSVH is repositioned as a movement that helps local leaders enhance and expand activities that create positive ecological and social impact.
villagehosts.eu/future-villages-lies-hands-rural-activators/

A small number (4-10 people) come to explore what designing for life might mean, for them, In practice. Some are already working on a live project. Other groups are exploring alternative new pathways. Starting in 2026, our offsites are hosted by the not-for-profit Doors of Perception Association.
thackara.com/meetinfrance/offsite/

The words ‘Dancing With Life’ were coined by the scientist Donella Meadows to describe healthy ways to connect with, and live among, living systems.
Her words are the working title of my next book which will be co-published by Thames & Hudson and Lilliput Press.