Advancing the Concept of Inclusive Living Communities: Between Research Trends and Design Scenarios

In the European scenario of greener, digital, and inclusive transitions, the concept of Inclusive Living Communities (ILCs) is apparent and foster socially inclusive interventions within small- and large-scale communities. Living in a community that is fully inclusive is recognized as a driver for prosperity and quality. Thus, ILCs promote health, wellbeing, and changes toward sustainable visions that are relevant for Design studies, due to the use inclusive stances to trigger social innovations. Although ILCs mainly raise discussions within Urban Planning studies, endogenous dynamics used to address human-centered investigations have not yet been examined through Inclusive Design’s lenses; these could stimulate new design explorations by suggesting innovative research avenues hinged around inclusiveness, wellbeing, and users’ engagement. This paper explores the concept of ILC and provides and overview of research trends and design scenarios at different scales. Research trends are discussed to offer themed explorations on different domains that are considered as relevant.