Design With the Other 90%

Around the world, people are tackling issues of urban poverty with determination and ingenuity. The people of Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa, are finally putting themselves on the map and improving the infrastructure in their community. In South Africa, an architect teams with an engineer to devise a better way to build with local materials. And in Medellin, Colombia, a visionary team reinvigorates the city with cable cars and spectacular architecture.

From the simple, to the profound to the life changing, design ideas and solutions are making a difference in the lives of millions around the world. Residents of Bogota, Colombia, show the world a new way to move around. Volunteer health workers in Bangladesh use a portable pharmacy to treat millions of people. An international team discovers an answer to Africa’s AIDS epidemic may already be in people’s hands. And in Kenya, one man finally unlocks the way to turn a refuse problem into a fuel solution.

Our planet is at a crossroads. A changing environment and shifting population patterns present significant new demands on cities worldwide. Luckily, people are coming up with ingenious answers. In Bangladesh, old school meets new as communities rise above floodwaters. Modular bikes in South Africa and vertical gyms in Venezuela allow end users to fit their needs (and even have fun along the way). And two groups in Africa are planting seeds. The first, in Kenya, is working towards food security in slums. And in South Africa, it's the seeds of cultural understanding that have been planted at a vibrant community crossroads.

Experts predict that by 2030, roughly 2 billion people around the world will be living in informal settlements – urban communities with poor access to housing, safe water, and city services. It’s a sobering statistic, but within these challenging neighborhoods are millions of people with ideas and inspiration. An organization founded by 50 street beggars is now building a brand new town in Kenya. UNICEF is revolutionizing Internet access in Uganda, and a young inventor is designing through dialogue – one street vendor at a time. There’s a new water delivery system in Manila, and in Bangladesh a chemist has found a solution to one of the largest mass poisonings in human history. Across continents and cultures, individuals are inventing a future we can all look forward to.