Utopian Design Space: Practical Concerns and Transformative Ambitions

Abstract Interconnected global crises have emphasized the need for alternative visions of the future, making transformative action urgent. Consequently, Sustainable Human–Computer Interaction (SHCI) has seen growing interest in exploring means to support radical and sustainable change, starting with grassroots, community-driven endeavors. This study explores the concept of Utopian Design Space (UDS) in the context of surplus redistribution in grassroots communities. The objective is to understand how practical concerns and transformative ambitions intersect, creating spaces that foster sharing and caring practices. Through action-oriented research, we examine six local projects, highlighting ICT’s role in these initiatives. Our findings highlight the challenges and opportunities in managing values, scalability, sustainability and inclusivity within UDSs. We discuss how aligning ICT with community practices can foster socio-technical innovation and support transformative change, introducing the notion of prefigurative technology. These insights can help us envisage design spaces that foster utopian ideas like equitable resource distribution and generalized reciprocity.