prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA

prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, M.A. Lijun Chen

The issue of transition and transformation of communities has a long history. Particularly in today's context of increasing aging trends, cities and communities are facing unprecedented multiple challenges that drive the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable future to enable community stakeholders to have a higher quality of life experience and to fulfil their visions for the future. This paper systematically reveals insights from the past of the ageing issue in the Yangfangdian community in Beijing through a multi-level perspective (MLP) framework created with local residents, a museum and design students to understand the historical foundations of the issue and its multiple dimensions (landscape, regime, and niche) to inform community residents' long-term visions of the future and systematic design interventions for the present day.

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doc. Ing. arch. David Tichý, Ph.D., prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, M.A. Lijun Chen, Arch. Gulbahar Emir Isik, MSc., Noor Marji, MSc., Ing. arch. Akshatha Ravi Kumar

The demand for age-friendly communities that can support the health and well-being of older people is rising as Europe's population ages. Communities are facing transition issues. Transition Design is an emerging design approach that seeks to address complex social and environmental challenges through participatory processes, including re-framing the present and future, designing interventions, and waiting and observing. This article explores the potential of Transition Design to create age-friendly communities in Europe. Drawing on examples from several European countries, it describes the key principles of Transition Design and how they can be applied to the development of age-friendly communities. The article highlights the importance of participatory processes in involving older people and other stakeholders in the design process and discusses the role of technology in creating more accessible and inclusive environments. The article also considers some of the challenges of implementing a transition design approach in a European context. In conclusion, it argues that Transition Design offers a promising framework for creating age-friendly communities that are sustainable, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of older people.

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, M.A. Lijun Chen

15150 Ústav designu

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, M.A. Lijun Chen

15118 Ústav nauky o budovách, 15150 Ústav designu

With the accelerated ageing of the world’s population, countries are focusing on solving various life issues of seniors through the power of diverse communities to spend their twilight years in quality. In the context of active ageing and community transformation, this study explores sustainable design strategies for age-friendly communities based on the theory of Design for Sustainability (DfS). The Sustainable Transformation of Age-Friendly Communities (STAFC) indicator is the analysis criterion. Case studies of ageing communities in four countries of China, the USA, Spain, and Italy are analyzed in the following four areas: Outdoor space and buildings, Transport, Social participation, Civic participation, and employment. The positive role and impact of the theory in design planning strategies for ageing communities are demonstrated, illustrating future trends in sustainable ageing community design planning, and providing references for future research.

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doc. Ing. arch. David Tichý, Ph.D., prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, M.A. Lijun Chen

The growth of globalisation has brought about dramatic changes in the lives of people around the world. It has led to economic growth, poverty reduction, and overall development in a number of countries, and has made it possible to formulate policies that take into account the interests of the wider global population. At the same time, however, globalisation has also increased global inequality, cultural homogenisation, loss of identity, increased consumption of non-renewable energy sources, increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and other negative impacts that have led to a more cautious attitude towards globalisation in recent years. In 2007, China’s concept of “Ecological Civilisation” provided a clearer direction for sustainable development in various disciplines and fields. When the changes needed to address global climate disruption and social injustice are so widespread, the design discipline is contemplating how to engage more responsibly and systematically with the multiple levels of environmental and social crises in the new civilisation and how to explore design ecologies and interventions based on local natural ecologies, industries, and cultures that are more responsive to the visions of indigenous peoples and people in all regions of the world. Loc-globalisation Design (LGD) is a new field in design research, practice, and education. It is a systematic, holistic design based on the environment, indigenous people, and production lifestyles. This paper provides a comprehensive introduction to LGD, its framework and methodology, and demonstrates the application scenarios of LGD through a relevant case study. It also explores the future development direction of LGD, providing strong support and new ideas to promote the systematic localised development of the design discipline and to enable the design actions and tangible results to be acknowledged and communicated in the world.

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA, MgA. Roman Kovář

15150 Ústav designu

Článek je zaměřen na význam bioplastů v různých odvětvích hospodářství a na možnosti a limity s jejich nakládáním na konci jejich životního cyklu. Bioplasty nacházejí uplatnění v biomedicíně, zemědělství a dalších odvětvích. V současnosti se však nejčastěji o nich diskutuje ve vztahu k obalovému průmyslu, kde nachází uplatnění cca 53% současné produkce bioplastů. V článku jsou uvedeny výhodné vlastnosti nejčastěji používaných bioplastů, ale zároveň i limity jejich udržitelného používání a současných možností jejich recyklace. Závěr článku přichází s návrhy nastavení odpadního toku plastů a bioplastů, tak aby byla možná efektivní separace, která je klíčovou podmínkou pro jejich recyklaci.

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA

15150 Ústav designu

To describe and measure the apparent pressures humanity poses to functioning of the crucial Earth systems, scientists have long strived to develop comprehensive indicators, of which environmental footprints are probably the most popularly recognized and employed. Since the inception of environmental footprint accounting in the 1990s, the concept has evolved to comprise, next to the ecological footprint, many other environmental and socio-economic issues. However, there is not yet a generally accepted definition of what (environmental) footprints are and how should they be calculated. Thus, most people have only a vague idea of what the footprint results entail, which seems to hold for the scientific community as well. This paper sets to critically overview the various methodological approaches to the most eminent footprinting methodologies, and to conceptually analyze the, often opposing, views on what footprint indicators are or should be; thus providing a key to current footprint research literature and debates. Starting with the ecological footprint, it is shown how footprints started and evolved, but also how the original concept is heavily criticized. The carbon footprint is the most well-known indicator; however, it is also the one where the chaos is most apparent, with a multitude of differing definitions and approaches. The evolution, as well as the debate of the opposing views and methodologies are described regarding water footprint. Also, other evolving concepts, such as land or material footprints are analyzed, as well as how environmental footprints are grouped to a Footprint Family. Then, the general environmental footprint concept is analyzed, regarding the most eminent debates and opposition to life cycle assessment. Finally, the relationship of footprints to the planetary boundaries concept is analyzed.

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA

15150 Ústav designu

Electronic shopping is getting more and more popular, and it is not only clothes and electronics that people buy online, but groceries and household products too. Based on real-life data from a major cosmetics and household products retailer in the Czech Republic, this study set to assess the life cycle environmental impact of parcel delivery. Two archetype parcels containing common household and hygiene products were designed and packed in two distinct ways, and the environmental impact was quantified using the Life Cycle Assessment method. It showed that it is environmentally beneficial to use plastic cushions to insulate the goods instead of paper. However, the most important process contributing to the environmental burden was found to be electricity consumption in the logistics center. Hence, the importance of energy efficiency and efficient space utilization was demonstrated on alternative scenarios. Since the cardboard box the goods are packed in turned out to be another important contributor, an alternative scenario was designed where a reusable plastic crate was used instead. Even though the scenario was based on several simplistic assumptions, it showed a clear potential to be environmentally beneficial. In the study, contribution of other processes was scrutinized, as well as sensitivity to variation of parameters, e.g. transportation distances. The main scientific contribution of this work is to show the importance of logistics and distribution of products to end customers in the rapidly developing field of electronic retail of household products.

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prof. Ing. Vladimír Kočí, Ph.D., MBA

15150 Ústav designu

As both the human population and living standards grow, so does the worldwide electricity demand. However, the power sector is also one of the biggest environmental polluters. Therefore, options are currently being sought aimed at reducing environmental impacts, one of the potential tools for which concerns the use of life cycle assessment. This study, therefore, focuses on the most commonly used nonrenewable (black coal, lignite, natural gas and nuclear) and renewable sources (wind, hydro and photovoltaic) in the Czech Republic in terms of their construction, operation, and decommissioning periods. Environmental impacts are assessed via the use of selected impact categories by way of product environmental footprint methodology. The results highlight the potential environmental impacts associated with electricity generation for each of the primary energy sources. Black coal and lignite power plants were found to contribute most to the global warming, resource use, energy carriers and respiratory inorganics categories. On the other hand, the impact on water depletion and resource use, mineral and metals categories were found to be most significantly affected by the production of electricity from photovoltaic power plants. Finally, it is proposed that the results be employed to design scenarios for the future energy mix.

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