Enhancing social well-being through social innovation approach and design expertise: a case study for social innovation in a local district in Turkey

Design-driven scenarios can play a critical role in enhancing social and environmental well-being and creating sustainable solutions for better living conditions and sustainable futures. With this starting point, this study aims to use traditional knowledge as a source for sustainable development and a sustainable way of living by examining, empowering, and promoting local and traditional values through social innovation approach and design expertise. The main motivation of the study is to construct an intended link between traditional knowledge and a sustainable future for societies. The research was conducted by examining a multi-cultural local district in Turkey and its traditional and sustainable habits and proposing development ideas based on the social innovation literature and authors’ design expertise. The proposed ideas involve different approaches such as an ecosystem that promotes co-creation, women’s employment, symbiotic production processes, and digital marketing platforms for local products.