Publications

In 2020, ISF researchers produced 139 publications spanning research reports, book chapters and new media. Here are six highlights from the year’s outputs.

	Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Failures Authors: Dena Fam and Michael O’Rourke Format: book Providing insight for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary practitioners, this book looks at what doesn’t work in the field. Documenting detailed case studies of project failures, it illustrates experienced challenges and the lessons learned from them. Read more here.
	Reaching all in rural sanitation: experiences from inclusive programming in five countries Authors: Naomi Carrard, Jeremy Kohlitz, Simone Soeters, Gabrielle Halcrow (SNV), Janina Murta and Juliet Willetts Format: Journal article, Development in Practice, pp. 1-15 This article presents approaches from area-wide rural sanitation programming undertaken by SNV across five countries. Analysis identified 10 strategies used in combination to support inclusion, then presents four implications for the rural sanitation sector: the value of a ‘toolbox’ approach; co-creation of strategies with stakeholders; recognition of local government as a driver of inclusive services; and the need to strengthen evidence on how strategies contribute to success. Read more here.
	Microbes, chemicals and the health of homes: integrating theories to account for more-than-human entanglements Authors: Rachael Wakefield-Rann, Dena Fam, Susan Stewart (UTS Design Innovation research Centre) Format: journal article, BioSocieties, vol. 15, pp. 182-206. This paper explores the microscopic elements of ‘indoor ecosystems’ to assess the healthiness of homes, looking specifically at the domestic hygiene practices of parents with young children in Sydney, Australia. The research highlights crucial assumptions about the ways micro-scale agency is embedded in everyday domestic practices that are contributing to sub-optimal indoor environments. Read more here.
	DER Customer Insights: The Customer Journey and Values and Motivations Authors: Dani Alexander, Scott Dwyer, Chris Briggs and Chris Riedy Format: report The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) commissioned ISF researchers to investigate energy consumers’ perceptions, habits and needs with a view to informing the way forwards for distributed energy sources (DER). These two publications provide important market intelligence to renewable energy providers so that they may attract, service and retain their customers into the future. Download the reports here.
	Discourse coalitions for sustainability transformations: Common ground and conflict beyond neoliberalism Author: Chris Riedy Format: journal article, Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, vol. 45, pp. 100-112. This theoretical paper reviews alternative discourses to Neocapitalism, challenging its dominance. Riedy finds common ground and conflicts within these discourses, arguing that dialogue between them could seed the discursive transformation that is essential to support flourishing, sustainable futures. Read more here.
	Climate Adapted People Shelters (CAPS) 360 Authors: Rebecca Cunningham, Brent Jacobs and Louise Boronyak Format: 360 webVR The Climate Adapted People Shelters (CAPS) project initiated a collaborative, design-led approach to reimagining the place and function of bus shelters, specifically in response to conditions of increasing urban heat and extreme weather events in Western Sydney. This piece embeds report findings into webVR to create a virtual tour of the CAPS and communicate our research findings. View the project here.