In this talk, Dr. Sabie draws on her human-centered design research with diverse community groups—including participatory shelter design for refugees, youth-led design thinking initiatives for civic engagement, and service learning collaborations with non-profit organizations—to show how participatory and care-oriented methods can amplify underrepresented voices and foster more inclusive, pluralistic forms of engagement. She argues that sustainability is not only about environmental concerns—it also involves creating workflows and relationships that endure, even within constrained resources. Dr. Sabie will also explore the concept of unmaking, demonstrating how critically rethinking default processes can open new possibilities for more sustainable, emancipatory, and impactful work. Drawing from her extensive fieldwork experience as well as work as an educator, she will highlight practical strategies for integrating human-centered insights into real-world marketing and communications contexts.

Samar Sabie

I am an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto where I direct the Open Design Collaboratory. I also hold a graduate appointment at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Landscape. My research investigates the role design as a socio-material practice can play in how communities develop an adaptive capacity towards sustainable change. My research draws on my multidisciplinary training in architecture, software engineering, ethnography, and philosophy.