X-Crop

X-Crop is a Cambridge-based research and innovation lab (a space for open and transparent collaborations between many stakeholders sharing a mutual interest in design research) founded and led by Dr. Idrees Rasouli; exploring products, processes, and places that mitigate and respond to urban emergencies (emergence and unforeseen situations whose sudden and underestimated flows affect the environment, society, economy, technology, and governance). We’re small, connected, and serious about the extraordinary power of design and its strategic powers as a catalyst for societal transition (systems-level change) through interdisciplinary (influencing other disciplines) and multidisciplinary (drawing from multiple disciplines) collaborations and influence over approaches for creating creative, systemic, and efficient responses for specific geographic, cultural, and political contexts. We collaborate with public and private sector businesses, civil society institutions, grassroots and professional associations, communities, and individuals to drive design-led systems-change and develop ecologies of interventions with and for cities, organisations, and people affected by urban emergencies. Our explorations employ cutting-edge design techniques and knowledge-driven approaches, as well as critical design research, participatory systems analysis, deliberate action, and augmented intelligence. Findings from our explorations are frequently presented as case studies at national and international conferences, academic and business inquiries, research publications, international media, community assemblies, and exhibitions to empower changemakers to take bold actions centred on policy, equity, sustainability, and climate change.