The definition of geodesign is derived from two terms, geo and design .
Geo
The prefix geo in geodesign can be simply defined as geographic space .
In general, thinking of geographic space brings to mind a 2D flat map of the landscape. However, to be effective practitioners of geodesign, we need to expand our perspective of geographic space to include all dimensions of the geo-scape . Bill Miller defines the geo-scape as the planet’s life zone, including everything that is below, on, and above the surface of the earth that supports life. This requires us to think and work in 3D geographic space, as well as 4D geographic space to include time-dependent information.
The geo-scape expands the view of what constitutes the content of geography, as well as the dimensional extent of geographic space used to reference that content. As a consequence, it also expands the domain of geo in geodesign to include everything that supports or inhibits life (Miller 2004). Geo in geodesign thus refers to the full spectrum of the earth’s life support system.
Design
The word design , the second component of geodesign, can be defined as either a noun or a verb. As a noun, design generally refers to some object or other entity. As a verb, it usually refers to a process or series of activities.
Herbert Simon, Nobel Laurette, indirectly defined design as a process:
"Everyone designs who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones." (Simon 1996).
Expanding on this definition, design can be more specifically defined as:
“Design is the thought process comprising the creation of an entity. ( Miller 2005).
With this in mind, it is important to note that not all design is good. The ethic of design, that is, how a design (noun) is determined to be good or bad comes not from the definition but rather from the purpose of design, which at a fundamental level is always the same.
Design should solve problems, or as Simon states, “change existing situations into preferred ones”. Therefore design requires the purposeful creation of something to solve a problem. Consider pre-historic man. The first time he (or she) cleaned and draped himself in animal skin to keep warm he had created clothing. By contrast, consider the first time a lightning bolt struck brush resulting in a fire that kept him warm. The difference is that clothing was created with purpose and the fire simply appeared. The clothing was purposefully created to solve the problem of needing additional warmth. The fire, was accidental.
Another example is the creation of art. Paintings, sculptures, sketches are all purposefully created, but arguably not to solve a pre-defined problem. While design may at times be artistic, and certainly the culture of design reinforces the romance of a genius idea, the goal of problem solving separates design from art. Design is a process that changes need and purpose into a solution.
Taking this idea a bit further, Bill Miller of Esri defines the purpose of design as follows:
“The purpose of design is to facilitate life” (Miller 2006).
Simply put, if an entity (the thing being designed) facilitates life, then it is good; if it inhibits life, it is bad; and if it does neither, it is neutral. While this is a very simple ethic, or appears as such at first glance, one must constantly remember two things: what it means to facilitate and what is meant by life (Miller 2017) .
Geodesign extends this concept to the geographic landscape. Combining the above definitions, we arrive at a definition of Geodesign:
"Geodesign is the thought process comprising the creation of an entity in geographic space" .
Or:
"The purpose of geodesign is to facilitate life in geographic space" .
The essential aspect of this definition is the idea that design – the process of designing (creating or modifying) some portion or aspect of the environment, be it natural or man-made – occurs within the context of geographic space. And here’s where is gets interesting: the challenge and power of geodesign lies in the ability to design in the context of systems that comprise that geographic space. More on systems in just a moment.
Geodesign facilitates science-based design. That is, it facilitates the creation of something within the context of scientific information, like local geology, hydrology, ecosystems, and climate. GIS has allowed designers to make design decisions informed by analysis of these types of scientific data. By calculating proximity, risk, sensitivity and other analytics based on scientific data about the environment, designer can then measure the impact of their design on the environment, and respond accordingly.
Geodesign also facilitates value-based design. Creating a design that responds to ecologically significant areas, or sensitive aquifers as explained above is often the easier part of a geodesign project because these values are easy to quantify and measure. Social values are often qualitative, based on personal views, or stem from cultural differences, and are therefore harder to incorporate objectively into a study. However, by designing in geographic space, especially when facilitated by certain technological tools, designers can get instant feedback from project stakeholders on their values related to the study area and proposed changes. This value based content is essential to successful design, as we will discover in module 2.
To summarize, please watch this video of our very own Kelleann Foster, head of the Geodesign Program at Penn State. In her lecture, entitled, Is it Design? , Foster describes geodesign in comparison to other types of design.
Video: Is it Design? (8:29)