Strategic Design Scenarios is a design lab, created in 2003 in Belgium by the designer François Jégou. Strategic Design Scenarios is part of the pioneer movement of “public policy innovation by design”, along friends in Europe such as La 27e Région in France, The Mindlab in Danemark or Nesta in the UK.
We are non-partisan design activists working for the common good. Indeed, SDS applies its expertise exclusively on societal issues and in particular: sustainability (food, energy, water, housing, etc.), democracy (citizen participation, local governance, etc.) and social justice (juvenile justice, social care, child protection, gender equality, economic justice, etc.). We work almost exclusively for the public sector (or with private actors working themselves with the public sector).
We are at micro and macro levels, in the present but also in the far future. Indeed, SDS is active on multiple projects all over Europe and on multiple levels of governance and policies. We work both on EU research projects (such as H2020, Horizon Europe, etc.) and operational EU programmes (such as URBACT or Urban Innovative Actions) but also at national, regional and local levels (ministries, regions and cities).
We do consultancy (problem-setting & problem-solving), action-training (in order to empower civil servants & elected officials on how they can use design as a public innovation approach), research and creative foresight.
[In that section of the website you will find downloadable content about the key personnel of SDS. Mini-bios, Curriculum vitaes (Europass résumés, pictures…]
SDS IS WHAT EU CALLS AN ‘AGILE STRUCTURE’
The first step that we do in front of a new challenge is to constitute an ad-hoc partnership in the circle of close collaborators and round of structures with complementary competences to better serve the different and specific purpose of projects. This means that we rarely work alone. We work together with sociologists, urbanists, experts of policy evaluation, behavioral scientists, foresighters, and of course other designers.
François Jégou / Director / Senior designer and researcher / @sds_lab
EN
François Jégou created and leads the Brussels-based sustainable innovation lab Strategic Design Scenarios with 25 years of experience in strategic design, participative scenario building and new product-services system definition. François is active in various fields and research projects from investigating social innovation for sustainable living in China, India, Brazil and Africa with UNEP to European research projects focussing sustainable lifestyles 2050, exploring the future of innovation or building a deliberative platform on nanotech.
Francois Jégou coordinates URBACT networks of European cities (Sustainable Food in Urban Communities, REFILL Temporary use of vacant spaces, BIOCANTEENS of cities with 100% local organic canteens) and acts as a partner of various European H2020 research projects on social innovation, the transition to sustainable development of territories, responsible research and innovation, transformation of energy use practices, the future of innovation or the construction of deliberative processes on science and technology in Europe.
François is professor of design at La Cambre, Brussels, Design manager of the Laboratory of Uses and Innovative Practices of the City of Design of Saint-Etienne and co-founder of the DESIS international network of Design Schools for Social Innovation and Development sustainable. Its latest publication, Social Innovation in Cities, reviews how the more than 500 cities that have participated in URBACT Thematic Networks are changing their governance processes to better engage with citizens and local stakeholders.
FR
Designer Industriel de formation, François Jégou est fondateur de l’agence de recherche sur les modes de vie durables Strategic Design Scenarios basée à Bruxelles. François a 25 ans d’expériences de recherche, d’intervention en tant que consultant pour des entreprises et des pouvoirs publics et de formation sur les questions de modes de vie durables, innovation sociale, développement de systèmes complexes products-services-policies, la construction participative de scenarios prospectifs. Il intervient sur les processus de transitions écologique locaux au travers différents projets de développement, de prospective et d’évaluation des Agenda 21 en France et en Belgique ainsi que comme partenaire de multiples projets de recherche européens sur l’innovation sociale, la transition vers le développement durable des territoires, le futur de l’innovation ou la construction de processus délibératifs sur les nanotechnologies.
Francois Jégou coordonne des réseaux de villes européennes URBACT (Sustainable Food in Urban Communities ; REFILL Usage temporaire des espaces vacants ; BIOCANTEENS ) et intervient comme partenaire de divers projets de recherche européens H2020 sur l’innovation sociale, la transition vers le développement durable des territoires, la recherche et l’innovation responsable, la transformation des pratiques d’usage de l’énergie, le futur de l’innovation ou la construction de processus délibératifs sur la science et la technologie en Europe.
François est professeur de design à La Cambre, Bruxelles, Design manager du Laboratoire des Usages et Pratiques Innovantes de la Cité du Design de Saint-Etienne et co-fondateur du réseau international DESIS d’écoles de Design pour l’Innovation Sociale et le Développement Durable. Sa dernière publication : Social Innovation in Cities fait le point sur comment les plus de 500 villes qui ont pris part aux réseaux thématiques URBACT font évoluer leurs processus de gouvernance pour mieux collaborer avec les citoyens et les parties prenantes locales.
Christophe Gouache / Senior designer & researcher / @sds_lab
EN
Designer & researcher at Strategic Design Scenarios since 2012, Christophe studied industrial product design and responsible innovation and received his Master from The École de Design Nantes Atlantique, Nantes, France. His focus is on sustainable and social innovation, collaborative and participative scenario building, participatory foresight (prospective scenarios of future sustainable ways of living) and service design. He is working on various projects of public policy design and public innovation with regional authorities and ministries, as well as action-research projects at EU level (H2020).
He has been collaborating with the French Ministry of Justice on the care of youth delinquents under Juvenile Justice, as well as with the French Ministry of Sustainability on designing tools that allow citizens and local elected officials to co-create future visions for local sustainable development programmes (Visions+21 – Agenda 21).
Christophe gives trainings at the National Institute for Territorial Studies (INET) (Strasbourg, France) and teaches “Public design and innovation” at Sciences Po (Lille, France). He is also Lead Expert of URBACT networks of European cities (Active Citizens on participatory democracy and citizen participation) and now currently Breaking Isolation (fighting against social isolation). He is also, occasionally, giving trainings for the account of the European Institute of Public Administration.
FR
Designer chercheur, chez Strategic Design Scenarios depuis 2012, Christophe a étudié le design industriel et l’innovation responsable et a obtenu son Master en Design à l’École de Design Nantes Atlantique, Nantes, France. Il travaille sur les questions d’innovation publique et sociale, la co-construction de scénarios et de solutions, la prospective participative (scénarios prospectifs sur les modes de vie durables futurs) et le design de services et politiques publiques.
Il travaille sur divers projets de design de politiques publiques et d’innovation publique avec des autorités locales, régionales ou nationales, ainsi que sur des projets de recherche-action au niveau européen (H2020). Dernièrement, il a collaboré avec le Ministère français de la Justice sur la prise en charge des jeunes délinquants en Guadeloupe ou avec le Ministère français du Développement Durable sur la conception d’outils permettant aux citoyens et aux élus locaux de co-créer des visions souhaitables de territoires durables (Visions+21 – Agenda 21).
Christophe est également formateur à l’Institut National des Etudes Territoriales (Strasbourg, France) et enseignant vacataire à Sciences Po (Lille) où il enseigne le ‘design au service de l’innovation publique’. Enfin, il est Lead Expert de réseaux de villes du programme européen URBACT pour lequel il a accompagné pendant 3 ans 8 villes d’Europe sur la démocratie participative, et accompagne en ce moment 10 villes d’Europe sur la lutte contre l’isolement social (Breaking Isolation. Il est également, occasionnellement, formateur auprès du European Institute for Public Administration.
Downloads
CV_Europass-Gouache_EN [english]
CV_Europass-Gouache_FR [français]
Downloads
EUROPASS Curriculum Vitae [français]
Curriculum Vitae [english]
STUDENTS & YOUNG DESIGNERS
“Strategic Design Scenarios behaves also as a teaching opportunity between research and professional worlds receiving permanently young creative students coming from design schools and universities worldwide…”
François jégou
looking for an internship?
We have no internship vacancy at the moment. Next period for internships will run from March 2025 to July 2025. For internship questions, requests & applications please email christophe[at]strategicdesignscenarios.net More info about internships here.
See below for the students, who came to SDS from all over Europe and beyond for the last 20 years!
At the moment, we have the pleasure to host Cathelle Denoue AND MARGOT LANDRY!
Agnes Chiara
Alberto Solazzi
Aldo Olivero
Alice Conquand
Anne Schön
Antonio Palumbo
Arlon Stok
Blanche Dujardin
Charles Assier
Charlotte Schoeffler
Chloé Bousquet
Chloé Vermeulin
Christophe Gouache Christopher Santerre
Cléo Fauvarque
Dasha Spasojevic
Deniz Orçun D’Angelo Delfin Ahmedi Elena Fichera
Elin Tobias
Emilie Bourgeot
Emma Livet
Eve Lerouge
Fiona Mazubert
Fiora Noël
Gaetan Mazaloubeaud
Giulia Durante
Giuseppe De Francesco
Jeanne Riot
Juli Mata
Karine Aboudarham
Khushboo Balwani
Lotte Boury
Louise Roussière
Marie Ange Dubreuil
Martin Lefebvre
Mathieu Grosche
Mathilde Cahill
Maureen Lois
Michael Schnell
Milan Kieffer
Milo Sognos
Nannan Li
Nicoletta Crisponi
Nicoletta Spagnolo
Paola Paleari
Paul Juin
Pauline Moussier
Perrine Boissier
Petra Salaric
Raphaelle Agostini
Roberta Motter
Ruby Yu-Rung Jeng
Sabina Verma
Sabrine Bibollet
Sara Girardi
Selam Mebrahtu
Serena Nardin
Thibaut Métivier