Designing Systems Interventions for the problem of Invasive Species in Pittsburgh
Assignment #5: Designing Systems Interventions
Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design, Transition Design Seminar 2024
Background
Transition Design is a transdisciplinary approach to address the many ‘wicked’ problems confronting 21st-century societies: climate change, forced migration, political and social polarisation, global pandemics, lack of access to affordable housing/healthcare/education and many others. These problems are interconnected, and interdependent and always manifest in place and culture-specific ways. Transition Design argues that new knowledge and skill sets are required to address these problems. Their resolution is a strategy for igniting positive, systems-level change and societal transitions toward more sustainable, equitable and desirable long-term futures. Transition Design Seminar 2024 is taught by Terry Irwin & Gideon Kossoff
Team Murmuration: Anthony Haynes, Eugina Chun, Kyla Fullenwider, Ruby Wu and Vanya Rawat
Introduction
To conclude our semester-long investigation of the problem of Invasive Species in Pittsburgh, we devised interventions to tackle this challenging issue. Throughout the term, each task has contributed to our understanding of this complex problem, revealing its deep-rooted nature in Pittsburgh. Previous assignments illuminated how various sectors of society are affected (assignment 1), which stakeholders are most impacted (assignment 2), and how historical factors have shaped its development (assignment 3). Additionally, we envisioned a future where this issue is resolved and identified strategies to achieve this (assignment 4). This final task represents the culmination of our research and insights, empowering us to devise sustainable interventions. We formulated both tangible and intangible interventions, envisioning the impact at different scales to ensure systemic improvement. As the concluding phase of the Transition Design process, our interventions offer actionable steps to inform initiatives addressing this intricate challenge.
Our Process
For Assignment #5, we worked on creating a matrix that merges the scales/domains of everyday life (derived from the visioning exercise in Assignment 4) with the five STEEP categories outlined in the problem map. Unlike conventional problem-solving methods, which often focus on crafting a single solution for a single issue, this assignment challenged teams to:
1. Generate three or more ‘synergistic solutions’ that are interlinked with each other and align with the long-term vision and milestones.
2. Position these interventions at various levels of scale.
3. Incorporate both tangible and intangible interventions within the framework.
The exercise emphasized that one-off, ‘silver bullet’ solutions aren’t enough and can’t completely address wicked problems effectively. Interventions of diverse types, situated at different scales across various timeframes, and closely aligned with the long-term vision and milestones, possess greater potential to destabilise the problem and its surrounding systems. This approach can spark positive, systems-level transformation. We were able to brainstorm types of interventions based on the Dismantling, Maintaining, Innovating and Future Finding framework.
We started with an in-class activity where we identified the dominant framing in the invasive species wicked problem and then rephrased them with a new paradigm.
In the next activity we brainstormed policy interventions and came up with one that offered tax incentives to restore native ecosystems.
We learned about Manfred Max-Neef’s Fundamental human needs and how it can be adapted to apply to our wicked problem.
For our final map we . We started by writing our ideas in the different categories and used them to place them within the interventions map. We used connecting lines to connect our post its across levels and STEEP categories.
Our Findings
We decided to write our insights according to the types of interventions based on the Dismantling, Maintaining, Innovating and Future Finding framework within the STEEP x Level framework.
- Dismantling
To move toward an ecology of systems interventions we started by identifying what would need to be dismantled. That is, what are the practices and systems that are contributing to the wicked problem of invasive species and what specific projects or initiatives might address them?
At a macro level, we felt it was important to address linear economic models that produce excessive waste and rarely take into account environmental impacts. By transitioning to more circular economic practices that eliminate waste- including chemical and herbicide runoff- we can begin to address the environmental degradation that creates the conditions for invasive species proliferation.
We addressed the widespread issue of “ecological illiteracy” and lack of public awareness surrounding native and invasive plant species through the creation of an ecological literacy program that could be integrated into Pittsburgh city schools. The programs could emphasize the importance of native species, pollinators, and other basics of ecosystem health as part of a more holistic education module.
Our team felt that starting to dismantle the normalization of the “globalized lawn” would be an essential first step in addressing the proliferation of invasive plant species in Pittsburgh. We proposed kicking this off by creating a “Wild Your Yard” campaign across the city. This campaign would target unsustainable landscaping practices where invasive plant species like Japanese Barberry and chemical herbicides are widely used. Incentives could be provided for the use of native plants and for joining the Pittsburgh Pollinator Network among other sustainable landscaping practices.
Finally, we saw the dismantling of mono-crop farming in the surrounding region as a critical short and long-term goal. This is essential to begin to rebuild soil health and also to reduce the amount of chemical runoff proliferating in local waterways and exacerbating invasive algal growth. Partnering with local organizations to host polyculture farming training programs with groups like 4H and the Future Farmers of America could help start to create a new normal around farming practices in Allegheny County and in the US more broadly.
2. Maintaining
As Pittsburgh confronts the unfolding narrative of its environmental challenges, particularly the pervasive issue of invasive species, we find ourselves in a critical phase of maintaining and refining our existing strategies. This commitment to sustaining what works is pivotal in our city’s ongoing battle against ecological disruptors.
In the realm of politics, governance, and legal frameworks at the national level, our steadfast approach to the enforcement of laws prohibiting the commercial sale and use of invasive plants stands as a cornerstone of our ecological defence. This rigorous legal enforcement discourages the proliferation of invasive species through commercial channels, directly impacting our local landscapes. By holding businesses accountable and urging them to adopt native plant species, we not only enhance our native biodiversity but also foster a business ethos that aligns with our environmental objectives. This strategic alignment ensures that our legal efforts resonate deeply through the layers of our local and national economies, fortifying our commitment to a sustainable ecological future.
Parallel to our legal endeavours, the Campaign for Sustainable Practices in Agriculture represents a crucial pillar in our strategy at the environmental level. By integrating sustainable techniques such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and integrated pest management into the everyday practices of our local farmers, we achieve a dual benefit. These methods significantly improve soil health, which in turn reduces the vulnerability of our farms and their surrounding areas to invasive species. This proactive approach not only curtails the immediate threats but also builds long-term resilience in our agricultural systems. The shift from traditional farming to innovative, sustainable practices marks a pivotal transition in our agricultural landscape, setting a new standard that melds productivity with ecological stewardship.
As we navigate the complexities of invasive species management, these maintained strategies — legal enforcement and sustainable agriculture — serve as the bedrock of our efforts. They exemplify how targeted, thoughtful interventions can create a symbiosis between human activity and the natural world, ensuring that our actions today lay the groundwork for a healthier, more resilient Pittsburgh. This conscious preservation of effective measures is not just about maintaining the status quo but about enhancing and adapting our responses to meet the evolving
3. Innovating
To start making changes to established systems, the team started brainstorming ways in which the change of the public perception of nature as a stakeholder and living entity would impact businesses, technology, and social roles of Pittsburgh residents. For example, the normalization and practice of including nature as a stakeholder in key decisions would make endeavours such as new developments, budgets, and technology. In doing so, businesses will expand the scope of their operations to actively contribute to the well-being of all stakeholders, considering nature, environment, and local communities as stakeholders for making any key decisions.
From this, the idea for a technology that is backed by data and tracking of invasive species was developed. This would support a local and global “disease monitoring” network for real-time tracking and outbreaks of invasive species movements and potential threats. In doing so, a repository of solutions will be created for removing or avoiding invasive species which would be crowdsourced from people and communities living in those localities. From here, the idea of “urban park rangers” emerged which is a community organization of naturalists that help residents learn about a healthy ecology and guide them in shaping their neighbourhood microhabitats to be balanced, native, and flourishing.
Finally, two innovation ideas made it to the intervention map considering the different sectors of the STEEP model. Under national and economic levels, the team believed that the state of Pennsylvania could become the “B-Corp State ‘’ where businesses expand the scope of their operations to actively contribute to the well-being of all stakeholders. The state supports this movement through tax incentives and other resources. The second idea is under the city and social level where a program to support the rewilding of Pittsburgh is launched. The master naturalists and gardeners, Urban Park Rangers, are assigned to neighbourhoods and help residents identify and remove invasive plants so they can be replaced with native, pollinator-friendly species.
4. Future Finding
To imagine and invoke the full vision of a Participatory Ecology, we sought to integrate innovative practices and undertake projects that would invite a longstanding paradigm shift. Notably, these practices and projects are those that bridge the conceptual reunification of humanity and nature as co-collaborative stakeholders on Earth with the material progress to anchor meaningful change.
At the local level, we expanded upon the premise of a seed bank with a Pittsburgh native plant repository. Through a collective initiative across the Pittsburgh library system, we proposed a physical and digital resource bank with vital information for the cultivation, care, and community impact of native flora. Through the creation of a media commons that is widely accessible with supplemental support for implementation, residents throughout the region are encouraged to personally engage in restoring and maintaining a healthy local ecology. Alongside the physical change to the landscape, the accessibility and continued engagement residents cultivate through this program may lead to a fundamentally more synergistic socio-ecological relationship.
Expanding to initiatives at the state level, we perceived that projects centred upon data and shared understanding would be pivotal for collaboration and communication. In the technological domain, we recommended the creation of an ecological Disease Monitoring Network (DMN) for the state of Pennsylvania that would serve to track and monitor the range and impact of invasive species throughout the ecosystem. The data collected via this network would then provide vital information for the development of other interventions across echelons, especially concerning the transformation of business and government practices. Within the social domain, we recommend the curation of a state-level environmental curriculum that teaches place-based ecological knowledge, creating a community of well-informed naturalists. Through an expanded understanding of the human-ecology interface and how to live as stewards, the dynamics essential for social and environmental thriving may more naturally evolve and deepen. These stable dynamics may in turn serve as the foundation for other interventions.
Expanding to the global scale, we determined that a formal political framework to recognize the rights of nature and an institution to consolidate and disseminate ecological wisdom were essential elements to ensure the ongoing stability of a participatory ecology into the long future. Initiated by the Mayor of Pittsburgh and orchestrated in concert with the US Conference of Mayors, the United States may become the first nation to charter the Rights of Nature as a formal legal framework to enshrine the fundamental rights of the non-human fauna and flora stakeholders across the world. Extending upon the local PGH plant repository to the international level, we envisioned a co-sponsored research institution that represented the fusion of global and local ecological wisdom. Such an institute would serve as a facilitative knowledge repository, cataloguing the ecological practices and culture of communities around the world and providing a mechanism for other communities to learn, share, and adapt that knowledge within their local ecologies of practice.
Reflection
This semester we learned so much about Invasive Species and how widespread they are in Pittsburgh. After we started working on the project we were able to define what invasive species are and why they are a problem. While there is work being done in PA and Pittsburgh to tackle this, there are so many intricacies that individual solutions struggle to gain momentum, failing to disrupt entrenched systems of both the problem and its context remain inertial. I must admit, I was a bit sceptical about the transition design framework and how this theory could be implemented. The biggest learning from the Transition Design Seminar has been that when you start working on a real-life problem, the TD system thinking approach forces you to consider all aspects of a problem and examine multiple levels to create system interventions which keep the temporal aspect in mind.
