Using Design, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Community Building and Regeneration

This article discusses how creativity, design thinking, and entrepreneurship enable the development of innovative practices that enhance the exchange of expertise. It presents two specific cases, one based in the north of Ireland and one in the north of Italy, to explore the notion of community. The article first focuses on Design Direction - a University of Ulster based International Design Management Community of Inquiry, Learning & Practice. Design Direction aims to facilitate flows of design management knowledge and the exchange of creative business expertise; to build a sustainable, regenerative ethos; and to harness the role of design as a metaskill. The article then presents the second case, based on the second author’s research investigating ways to enhance knowledge creation and communication in contexts involving members of different professional communities. The project led to a case study of an interuniversity master’s program in Italy and the development of research communication courses at the University of Turin and the University of Milan. The article highlights the significance of university-community dialogue and discusses the formation of international, interdisciplinary communities as a way to help navigate complexity.