PhD in Envisioning housing consumption corridors through participatory design fictions

The aim of this creative, critical and multidisciplinary PhD project is to collaboratively envision alternative ways of living within consumption corridors. Consumption corridors mark spaces of consumption that enable a good life for all – i.e. the diverse space between decent living standards that meet basic needs, and upper limits that guard a fair distribution of means. The project focuses on corridors for housing in Eindhoven and partner city Geneva, and the participatory development of Design Fictions to envision and deliberate what life within sustainable housing corridors might be like.

Background
Housing is central to human existence, it satisfies essential human needs, while posing environmental and social challenges. Housing provides shelter, safety, privacy and personal space, while structuring access to a variety of services (OECD, 2020). Like many other European cities, Eindhoven is facing a per capita increase in housing size, an ageing building stock, affordable housing shortages, and gentrification, all of which exacerbate inequalities. In 2022, the building sector was responsible for a third of total carbon emissions (IEA IRENA, 2023) and residential buildings account for 21% of final energy demand (UNEP, 2022). Proposals for more sustainable housing include promoting renewable energy production or building structural efficiency. Yet multiple experts and authorities also call for sufficiency measures that achieve absolute reductions, not only in energy and water usage, but also floor space per capita.

A promising concept to achieve this potential in an equitable manner is ‘consumption corridors’ (CC) (Fuchs et al., 2021; Sahakian et al., 2021): CCs envision environmentally and socially sustainable ways of living. With respect to housing, they imply upper and lower limits to the consumption of space and services (i.e., energy, water), whereby human needs can be met for all, while reducing negative environmental impacts and social inequalities. To achieve such a normative aim, social justice is a key consideration, in understanding who stands to gain or lose from any change in housing, and how needs can be satisfied for all people. In this light, housing must also be understood as ‘home’, beyond a techno-material reading. The social space of ‘home’ allows for the satisfaction of human needs but requires moving beyond the physical boundaries of such a space to consider the services that are available in any given setting – such as food provisioning, or mobility options. It also requires considering the different social practices involved with ‘living and working’ in homes, including material arrangements, shared meanings, normative expectations, competencies and know-how (De Koning et al., 2024).

The main aim of this project is to understand how and in what way environmentally and socially sustainable ‘living in consumption corridors’ can be imagined, designed and planned for in two European cities – Eindhoven and Geneva. We move from gaining situated knowledge on corridor potentials for housing, to experiential forms of learning based on embodied experiments with alternative social practices. The conceptual and methodological approach is to combine social practice theories in designing for social change, with the use of design fiction methods for imagining alternative living possibilities. This requires a methodology based on an iterative process of 1) imagining consumption corridors for housing, and identifying promising trends, 2) experimenting with consumption corridors, using design speculations on alternative ways of living, and 3) planning for consumption corridors, all with the engagement of diverse groups of people – from dwellers to architects and urban planners.

The PhD candidate in the project will be situated in Eindhoven and focus on the participatory development of Design Fictions that engage with the jointly defined upper and lower limits of the housing corridors in Geneva and Eindhoven.

Approach

• You will begin with a (literature) exploration of sustainable consumption, consumption corridors, design fictions, participatory and speculative design, in particular related to living space, energy and water services.
• Bearing in mind existing and locally specific housing corridors iteratively developed by a quantitative modelling expert in the project, your step one of the research process involves the exploration of opportunities and barriers for housing sufficiency. This step involves literature study, a survey and interviews with a diverse sample of approximately 8-10 local households. This data will be supplemented with interviews and a focus group with housing and urban planning experts conducted by other members of the team, and similar data from Geneva.
• The identification of opportunities and barriers in relation to the emerging corridor proposals form the basis for the formulation of a brief to depict a context for the participatory development of Design Fictions. You will be involved in organising and running two imagining workshops, using creative methods such as role play, informed by the current situation and emerging housing corridor.
• The outcomes of these workshops will form your input for the development of a set of 3-5 Design Fictions, for both Eindhoven and Geneva, that make in-corridor living experiential and debatable for a wide audience. You will develop these Design Fictions in collaboration with a design partner.
• The Design Fictions form the main input for a deliberation workshop (and potentially other outreach activities) in which living in consumption corridors in the local context is discussed with various stakeholders through the Design Fictions that you organize together with the Postdoc.
• The outcomes of these deliberations form input for your final generative element of the project in which recommendations for local interventions to realise desirable, fair forms of in-corridor living.
• Your final step in the project involves co-organising a backcasting workshop with local stakeholders focused on developing interventions that address opportunities and barriers for in-corridor housing transitions.

In the first year, you will refine the research plan. You are expected to publish in relevant scientific conferences and journals within the field of human-computer interaction, such as the CHI and DIS conferences, Ubicomp and the ToCHI journal. At the end of the 4-year project, you are expected to defend your PhD Thesis.

Prospective starting date is May 2026.

The team
This PhD position is part of the 4-year Living in Consumption Corridors project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The project is co-led by Dr. Marlyne Sahakian, Sociologist at the University of Geneva, and Dr. Lenneke Kuijer, Design Researcher at the TU Eindhoven. The two researchers leading this proposal have common expertise in social practice theories, consumption studies and participatory methods, with Kuijer bringing critical design (research) methods, and Sahakian experience with needs-based approaches to wellbeing; both have strong ties to various institutional partners in these cities, which have also been selected to address upper limits to housing corridors in contexts of affluence. In addition to Dr. Sahakian and Dr. Kuijer, the team includes a senior researcher and consumption corridor expert in Switzerland, and a part-time Postdoc position in the Netherlands.

Chemisch analist Samenstellingsonderzoek

You will perform analytical methods according to standard protocols and work on developing and validating methods for determining the composition of various types of food and animal feed. You will carry out both classical wet-chemical analyses and use a wide range of instrumental analytical techniques with systems such as LC-MS/MS, LC-DAD, GC-FID, CFA, etc. The analysis and research results are reported to the project leader. You will work in a team responsible for efficiently performing and reporting the analyses. In this way, you and the team contribute to the safety of the food chain and a healthy living environment.

Your tasks and responsibilities as a chemical composition analyst include:

• performing both classical wet-chemical and LC- and GC-based analyses in various projects;
• data analysis and reporting to the project leader;
• method improvements and validations;
• drafting Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs);
• are you also someone who becomes curious when looking at a food label?

Your Team
Of course, you will not be working alone but together with colleagues in the Authenticity, Additives and Nutrients (AAN) team. You will join a diverse and friendly team of around 18 colleagues. Within the AAN team, various (raw materials for) food products, animal feed and fertilizers are analysed for nutrients, additives and compositional profiles. We use classical wet-chemical analyses as well as a broad range of instrumental techniques, including LC-MS/MS, LC-DAD, GC-FID, CFA, etc. Profiling techniques are combined with statistical analyses (chemometrics) for authenticity research.

Chemical Analyst – Composition Analysis

Jij gaat als chemisch analist samenstellingsonderzoek bijdragen aan veilig en authentiek voedsel. Je analysemethoden uit volgens standaard protocollen en werk je aan het ontwikkelen en valideren van methoden voor de bepaling van de samenstelling van diverse soorten levensmiddelen en diervoeders. Je voert zowel klassiek nat-chemische analyses uit als dat je gebruik maakt van een breed scala aan instrumentele analyses met behulp van meetsystemen waaronder LC-MS/MS, LC-DAD, GC-FID, CFA etc. De analyse- en onderzoeksresultaten worden gerapporteerd aan de projectleider. Je werkt in een team dat verantwoordelijk is voor het efficiënt uitvoeren en rapporteren van de analyses. Zo draag je als team bij aan de veiligheid van de voedselketen en een gezonde leefomgeving.

Jouw taken en verantwoordelijkheden als chemisch analist samenstellingsonderzoek zijn:

• uitvoeren van zowel klassiek nat-chemische als LC- en GC- gebaseerde analyses in diverse projecten
• data analyse en rapportage aan projectleider
• methodeverbeteringen en validaties
• opstellen van standaard operating procedures (SOPs)
• Ben jij ook zo nieuwsgierig als je een etiket van een voedingsmiddel bekijkt?

Jouw team
Dit doe je natuurlijk niet alleen maar samen met collega’s binnen het team Authenticiteit, Additieven en Nutriënten (AAN).Jij gaat werken in een divers en gezellig team met zo’n 18 collega’s. In het team Authenticiteit, Additieven en Nutriënten worden allerlei (grondstoffen voor) voedselproducten, veevoer en meststoffen geanalyseerd op nutriënten, additieven en samenstellingsprofielen. We werken met klassiek nat-chemische analyses en een breed scala aan instrumentele technieken waaronder LC-MS/MS, LC-DAD, GC-FID, CFA etc. Profileringstechnieken worden gecombineerd met statistische analyses (chemometrie) in het kader van authenticiteitsonderzoek.

Project Manager Sustainable Agriculture

Do you want to make an essential contribution to the transition towards sustainable arable farming as a project coordinator?
Do you enjoy working in an organising and supporting role for a large national research team and project partners such as arable farmers, governments, crop protection organisations, breeders, nature organisations, banks, food chain partners and green education institutes? Then we are looking for you as the project coordinator for the CropMix project!

As project coordinator, you are responsible for the organisational aspects of the CropMix project and you work closely with the project leaders.

• You support the project leaders with the progress and planning of the research programme.
• Together, you ensure a clear project timeline and keep an eye on the budget.
• You take the lead in organising project meetings, work visits at locations across the Netherlands, national and international symposia, and open days.
• You handle communication with project participants and collect the content for project reports.
• You manage the project website and help promote the project in the media.
• You coordinate a citizen science project, MoestuinMix, on crop combinations in home gardens.

The position is temporary for the 2-year duration of the CropMix programme.

Your Team
The CropMix programme is part of the Dutch National Science Agenda and is led by researchers from Wageningen University & Research. Together with the sector, the interdisciplinary national research team works on creating a breakthrough in the transition towards sustainable arable farming.

We study how increasing crop diversity in the field can replace the use of pesticides and fertilisers through ecological processes. Forms of mixed cropping, such as strip cropping and crop rotation, support pest control, reduce the spread of diseases, improve nutrient efficiency, and make better use of sunlight to stimulate plant growth.

Sustainable production ensures that fields contribute to biodiversity goals. Understanding biodiversity recovery is important not only for assessing when natural pest control can effectively replace pesticides, but also for understanding how measures to increase overall biodiversity can be reflected in product prices or subsidies.

CropMix examines which social and institutional changes in the food system are needed to enable and speed up the transition towards sustainable arable farming with mixed cropping. This is done by exploring a variety of possible transition pathways, such as short, local supply chains or adjustments to existing (inter)national chains.

Project Manager Duurzame Akkerbouw

Wil jij als projectcoördinator een onmisbare bijdrage leveren aan de transitie naar duurzame akkerbouw? Werk je graag organiserend en ondersteunend voor een groot nationaal onderzoeksteam en projectpartners zoals akkerbouwers, overheden, gewasbeschermingsorganisaties, veredelaars, natuurorganisaties, banken, voedselketenpartners en groene opleidingen? Dan zoeken we jou als projectcoördinator voor het project CropMix!

Als projectcoördinator ben je verantwoordelijk voor organisatorische aspecten van het CropMix project en werk je nauw samen met de projectleiders.

• Je ondersteunt de projectleiders bij de voortgang en planning van het onderzoeksprogramma.
• Samen zorg je voor een strakke tijdslijn van het project en houd je de financiën in het oog.
• Je neemt de leiding bij het organiseren van projectbesprekingen, werkbesprekingen op locaties door heel Nederland, nationale en internationale symposia en open dagen.
• Je verzorgt de communicatie naar projectdeelnemers en verzameld de inhoud voor projectverslagen.
• Je verzorgt de projectwebsite, help je bij het uitdragen van het project in media.
• Coördineer je een citizen science project MoestuinMix aan gewascombinaties in moestuinen.

De functie is tijdelijk voor de 2 jaar looptijd van het CropMix programma.

Jouw team
Het CropMix programma is onderdeel van de Nationale Wetenschapsagenda en wordt geleid door onderzoekers van Wageningen University & Research. Samen met de sector werkt het interdisciplinaire nationale onderzoeksteam aan het realiseren van een doorbraak in de transitie naar een duurzame akkerbouw.

We onderzoeken hoe diversiteit van gewassen op de akker het gebruik van pesticiden en bemesting kan vervangen door ecologische processen. Vormen van mengteelt zoals strokenteelt en gewasrotatie zorgen voor plaagonderdrukking, verminderde verspreiding van ziekten, efficiënter nutriëntengebruik en zonlicht dat plantengroei bevordert.

Duurzame productie zorgt ervoor dat akkers bijdragen aan biodiversiteitsdoelstellingen. Inzicht in biodiversiteitsherstel is niet alleen van belang voor het inschatten wanneer natuurlijke plaagonderdrukking pesticiden effectief vervangt, maar ook hoe maatregelen ter verhoging van algemene biodiversiteit kunnen worden meegewogen in de prijs van producten of subsidies.

CropMix onderzoekt welke maatschappelijke en institutionele veranderingen in het voedselsysteem nodig zijn om de transitie naar duurzame akkerbouw met gemengde teelt mogelijk te maken en te versnellen. Dat gebeurt door uit te gaan van een diversiteit aan mogelijke transitiepaden, zoals korte, lokale ketens of juist aanpassing van bestaande, (inter)nationale ketens.

Hier ga je werken
Dit project wordt uitgevoerd bij het Laboratorium voor Entomologie van PSG (Wageningen Universiteit). Je maakt deel uit van de groep van prof. dr. Erik Poelman. Wij zijn een enthousiast team van ongeveer twaalf jonge wetenschappers die onderzoek doen naar de evolutie van afweerstrategieën van planten, de ecologie van insectengemeenschappen en hoe deze fundamentele inzichten worden toegepast bij het ontwerpen van duurzame landbouw. Een indruk van ons team vind je hier: www.erikpoelman.com. Je maakt deel uit van het coördinatieteam van een groot consortium met ervaring in akkerbouwers, overheidsinstanties, gewasbeschermingsorganisaties, veredelaars, natuurbeschermingsorganisaties, banken, partners in de voedselketen en milieueducatie binnen het programma CropMix (www.cropmix.nl). Je zult regelmatig deze partners door heel Nederland bezoeken en kunt werken op verschillende locaties binnen en buiten Wageningen.