Decolonizing Design

Decolonizing design is a movement and mindset that challenges the dominance of Western, Eurocentric, industrialized ways of creating and solving problems. It asks a deep, disruptive question:

“Whose knowledge, whose aesthetics, and whose needs have shaped what we call ‘good design’—and who has been left out of that picture?”

Let’s break it down further

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1. The Problem with Mainstream Design

Most of what we call "modern design"—whether it's architecture, fashion, tech, urban planning, or even education—has been heavily influenced by Western ideals. These systems were often built during or after colonial eras, meaning they:

• Favored industrial efficiency over community needs.

• Erased local, indigenous, or traditional knowledge.

• Treated the Global North as the default and the Global South as an afterthought.

• Pushed uniformity instead of honoring diversity.

Result? A world full of copy-paste cities, technologies that don’t fit local contexts, and "smart" solutions that often ignore the wisdom of the people they’re meant to serve.

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2. What Decolonizing Design Actually Means

Decolonizing design means intentionally stepping away from top-down, one-size-fits-all approaches, and instead:

• Centering Indigenous and local knowledge.
  Understanding that communities around the world have deeply rooted, time-tested ways of building, growing, and living sustainably.

• Challenging who gets to define “good design.”
  A solar-powered smart fridge in a Nairobi slum might not be better than a communal cold cellar built from clay and local stone.

• Listening first, designing second.
  True decolonized design starts by asking communities what they need, not assuming what they lack.

• Valuing cultural context.
  What’s beautiful, useful, or intuitive in one culture might be totally different in another—and that’s a strength, not a problem to "fix."

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3. In Practice: What It Looks Like

Imagine these examples:

• Architecture
  Using traditional building techniques that are adapted to local climates—like adobe in deserts or bamboo in the tropics—instead of forcing concrete-and-glass towers everywhere.

• Fashion
  Supporting clothing made by artisans using ancestral methods and designs, rather than copying their patterns into fast fashion without credit.

• Tech
  Building open-source tools in local languages, co-designed with the communities who use them—not just translated afterward.

• Solarpunk Urban Planning
  Designing cities that include informal settlements (slums) as part of the vision, instead of trying to erase or “modernize” them. Respecting how people already adapt and survive.

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4. How to Start Thinking This Way

Ask:

• Who is this design for? Who was involved in the process?

• What worldviews shaped this project?

• What knowledge systems were ignored?

• How can I amplify marginalized voices, rather than speak over them?

• Am I designing for people, or with them?

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Final Thought

Decolonizing design isn’t about rejecting everything modern or Western. It’s about rebalancing power. It’s about respect. It’s about recognizing that the future can’t be built by repeating the past that harmed so many.

In a solarpunk world, decolonized design is essential. Because you can’t build a just, sustainable future on the foundations of exploitation, extraction, and erasure.

So let’s design differently. Let’s design with memory, with humility, and with everyone at the table.