Aplicação de dispositivos estratégicos em Design Social no fortalecimento de identidade local

Abstract

This paper describes an applied research on the participatory development of strategic design interventions. The goal is to strengthen the local identity of a neighborhood in the city of Caucaia, Ceará. The local residents’ association detected a need for a design intervention concerning persons in a context of economic and environmental vulnerability. In order to bridge this gap, the Social Design laboratory developed collaborative interventions and methodologies, engaging the community in a process of recognition of their space and recovery of their history. Two main interventions were designed: the recovery of the neighborhood’s history, conducted with the help of the oldest residents, and a collaborative game, which used the map of the neighborhood as the game board. As a result, it is possible to verify a growing involvement of residents with the association and a process of cultural valorization.