Qualities of Public Health. Towards an Analysis of Aesthetic Features of Public Policies

Hamarat, Yaprak; Gauthier, Philippe; Proulx, Sébastien

Design is gaining popularity as a way to address complex social problems in various fields of practices. Strangely, public health which, by nature, is concerned by such kinds of problems, remains foreign to this way of thinking. Building on the increasing popularity of design in policy making, we stress that public health could also benefit from this conceptual yet pragmatic framework. To open a critical perspective about the potential of design for public health, we examine four design projects that address social determinants of health and whose outcomes promotes healthy living habits. Finally, we argue that the interest of design for public health lies on its concern for the users’ æsthetic experience emerging of its encounter with the touchpoints that embody health policies. This contribution ought to act as a stepping stone to open a debate about design as offering a critical perspective for the practice and study of public health.

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