Working with Nature to Shape Tomorrow

Transpecies Design: Design for a Posthumanist World.

The book, edited by Adrian Parr Zaretsky and Michael Zaretsky, invites readers to rethink design beyond human-centred norms. Design has historically centred on fulfilling human needs and preferences, often overlooking the impact on other species and the ecosystems that sustain them. This book introduces recentring, which means shifting from human dominance to an approach that considers the well-being of all life forms. Drawing on ecological science and practical examples, it demonstrates how design can become inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to the interconnectedness of humans and nature. For designers, this signals a move away from short-term utility towards long-term ecological responsibility, where every design decision is evaluated for its role in supporting biodiversity and planetary health.

Recentring Humans in Design
The book critiques anthropocentrism and explores how ecological science informs a shift towards pluralistic, ecologically attuned design. Decentring moves away from human dominance, acknowledging complex networks where social and natural processes co-produce environments. Ecology’s evolution from Enlightenment separations to integrated systems thinking provides the foundation for this transformation.

From Dichotomy to Coproduction
Enlightenment thought reinforced a human–nature divide, legitimising exploitation and colonialism. Contemporary ecology counters this by recognising that societies and ecosystems are co-produced. For design, this perspective demands models that reflect diversity and interdependence. It challenges designers to integrate ecological knowledge into planning, material selection, and lifecycle thinking, ensuring that interventions contribute positively to both human and nonhuman communities.

Implications for Design as a Research and Developing Discipline
Decentring in design means prioritising biodiversity and ecological integrity over convenience or short-term efficiency. This requires a fundamental shift in how designers approach projects. Instead of viewing design as a human-only enterprise, it becomes a practice of ecological stewardship. Nature-based solutions and ecosystem services should inform decisions about materials, energy use, and spatial planning. For example, architecture can integrate habitats for pollinators, urban design can restore green corridors, and product development can adopt regenerative materials that minimise harm to ecosystems.
Recentring does not erase human needs but situates them within a wider ecological web. Designers must ask: How does this design contribute to the resilience of ecosystems? Does it enable coexistence rather than dominance? Practical implications include lifecycle thinking, designing for circularity, and embedding adaptability to climate change.
Importantly, it signals that transpecies design is not just a set of practical guidelines but an emerging field of inquiry that shapes theory, methodology, and practice. As a developing discipline, it challenges conventional design education and professional standards, positioning design as a driver of ecological resilience and social equity.