Design For The Other 90%

by Cynthia E. Smith

Of the world's total population of 6.5 billion, nearly 5.8 billion people, or 90%, have little or no access to most of the products and services many of us take for granted; in fact, nearly half do not have regular access to food, clean water, or shelter. Design for the Other 90% explores more than 30 projects which reflect the growing movement among designers, engineers, students and professors, architects, and social entrepreneurs to design low-cost solutions for this other 90%. Through partnerships both local and global, individuals and organizations around the United States and throughout the world are inventing unique ways to provide better access to food, water, shelter, health, education and energy to those who most need them. Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Design for the Other 90% contains more than a dozen essays by leading experts in the field, accompanied by 200 full-color illustrations, to highlight a wide variety of design innovations that address the basic challenges of survival and progress faced by the world's poor and marginalized.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Architecture

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2007

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book spends too much time on the Foot Pumps designed to make fresh water wells in Africa, and not enough time on other Appropriate Technology solutions. I realise that the book was designed to go along with a museum exhibit and really focusses on the efforts of one project, but if you want a book on appropriate technology in general, this isn't it.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed it. Sister ordered it on inter-library loan.

Interesting stuff to consider. Somewhat technical but I suppose it would make fascinating reading material for an engineer or very hands-on environmentalist.

I just didn't have the time/attention span to delve into the text.

[Daniel]

Everyone can benefit from good design.

[Hamidreza Khademi]

good