Infrastructuring social relations in design and social innovation

In design and social innovation as well as participatory design, infrastructuring refers to the idea that local initiatives might become self-sustaining over time by building a supporting ecosystem around it. Although it has been acknowledged that this process depends on establishing and preserving meaningful social relations, exactly how and which relational factors affect the infrastructuring process could be further investigated. The workshop aims to challenge the dominant perception of infrastructuring, which often emphasises scalability and replicability as indicators of success, by focusing on the richness and complexity of its social dimensions, and explore what a relational approach to design and social innovation could entail through shared discussions that reflect on participants’ own experiences and practices.