Design for the First World is a challenge. A challenge for the First World, a challenge for the Developing world and a challenge for development and International Aid.
We live in a complex world, one full of inequities and wonderful things. Wonderful things are usually well distributed, but awfulness not so much. Our fellows in the First World have been concerned for a while with us having the major share of the bad­ness, so we thought, why don’t we pay back? After all, their life isn’t problem-free either.

Developing into what, exactly?

What does it mean to be a developing country? Among other things it means that the future of these countries is to become developed. We are on our way toward devel­opment, and we assume that’s a great thing: we will have better education, better health care, a more equitable society. But let’s stop to consider for a minute whether developed countries are some thing we want to turn into. Are people in developed countries happier or healthier? Do they live a better life? Do they have a better under standing of nature and live in a better equilibrium with the environment? Do they live in peace?

Sadly the answer to most of these questions is no, or yes in some cases but not significantly so.

We have been focusing our energy and resources on trying to solve our Third World problems to become more like the First World. But perhaps it is time that we, the so called Third World minds, focused our energy and creativity on solving some of the First World problems. We will have a brighter future to look forward to, and perhaps this can help us rethink and approach our current problems from a different perspective.