ETH Singapore Month 2019

The ETH Singapore Month brings together a group of graduate students from different disciplines and universities to tackle contemporary societal and environmental challenges. The workshop, under the heading "The Future of Urban Society," focuses on global urbanization processes in view of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the latter understood as a modern-day contrat social in need of implementation strategies.

Foregrounding the role of design (and design thinking) as a platform for multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary work, students are confronted with so-called "wicked problems". Moving from science and technology to prototyping, policy, and practice, the educational framework aims to foster self-critical thinking and an ethical posture vis-à-vis society at large – via dialogue and playful interaction.

Input
The didactic approach is framed by five input themes that students are asked to simultaneously address: a) one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; b) models of governance raising the question of policy and societal organization; c) a particular theoretical and critical text allowing to situate the work within the history of ideas; d) a specific prototyping technique addressing the importance of 'making' within design; and e) a certain physical and cultural context within which to ground the work in situ.

Output
The output of the work comprises three straightforward components: an exhibition installation, a 20-minute verbal presentation, and a sketchbook documenting the process. Students are asked to present their findings to invited guests from both academia and public agencies at a final review discussion of the work.

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The workshop is taking place outside the confines of a familiar setting – namely, within the research environment of Singapore in South East Asia. 48 students – from 7 universities covering 16 disciplines – are asked to work in a design atelier setting. Lectures and seminars in the morning introduce students to particular questions concerning the future of urban society. The afternoons are dedicated to the design work in smaller groups addressing one of the United Nations Sustainable Developing Goals. Once a week, a site visit to a particular place, including discussions with government agencies, supplements the program.

Readers:
Two compilations of texts offer background material on particular subject matters. The first reader addresses the history of the United Nations Sustainable Developing Goals, the work of the Open Working Group of the UN, and the difficulties encountered in multilateral negotiation process leading to the ratification of the SDGs. The second reader focusses on the history of Singapore as seen from different and partially contradicting points of view. Students and faculty engage in critical discussions on the respective texts.

Immersion and reflection weeks:
A thematically structured introductory week is offered, allowing students to get acquainted with their new context, absorb local culture, and gather initial material for the follow-up two-week interdisciplinary, cross-cultural workshop. The ETH Singapore Month ends with a reflection week, analyzing and summarizing the workshop’s findings as well as the methods used to either identify or reject a particular outcome.

Evaluation:
Students are asked to evaluate the program in a written statement on the last pages of their individual sketch books.