Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Rooted in the places, cultures, histories and wisdoms of the diverse Asia-Pacific region, this book gathers heterogeneous practices of designing social innovation that address various social, political and environmental challenges. This edited volume shares rich and innovative stories about how designing - underpinned by values such as care, commitment, respect and reciprocity - can offer valuable evidence and guidance for communities and ecologies to flourish. The book also provides alternative paradigms and asks different questions that concern worldviews beyond the Global North that have shaped the discipline of design. The dominant notions of design that evolved through industrialisation and modernist thinking are reflected in the way design pursues growth, progress, replicability and universality. The book calls attention to the consequences that result when these assumptions are taken as a norm for the discipline and profession, replicating and entrenching colonial, geo-political hierarchies. In all, this book offers ways to sharpen focus on plurality as a central condition for designing. It is a contribution of hope and inspiration that are becoming more urgently needed in the volatile uncertainties of this world. The book will be of interest to scholars working in service design, product design, design innovation, communication design, design for development, and Asian studies"-- Provided by publisher.