Upstream hosts Austin Design Week panel: Why our Biggest Challenges Require the Design of Systems

Upstream hosted an Austin Design Week panel: Why our Biggest Challenges Require the Design of Systems. The event was held at the inspirational and engaging Native Hostel. Upstream’s Melissa Young facilitated the panel that included 4 participants:

• Michele Van Hyfte, VP Urban Design at Downtown Austin Alliance

• Mike Millard, Managing Director at Mass Challenge

• Christopher Laing, Executive Director at Capital City Innovation

• Tim Sweeney, Founding Partner at Upstream

Panelists discussed the scale of systemic challenges and how they drive decision making across system stakeholders such as businesses, public institutions and government. They then highlighted key attributes of systemic challenges including; societal impact that lasts in perpetuity until system change occurs, behavior driven by competing incentives across system stakeholders, and diffusion of challenge ownership across system stakeholders. The panel closed by discussing how their respective organizations are approaching systemic challenges and how others can get involved.

“The audience clearly recognized that our greatest challenges are systemic in nature. They are eager to engage in solutioning but don’t know where to plug in. As leaders, we need to do a better job exposing opportunities to engage the broader community in systemic change efforts.“

- Tim Sweeney, Founding Partner at Upstream