Ecological-thinking and collaborative design as agents of our evolving future.

The paper depicts emerging scenarios of environmental design, in connection to the paradigm shift brought about by digital technologies, and awareness of future challenges. It reviews selected researches and projects applying ecological thinking principles. It aims at raising awareness on heuristic approaches in research and design. The paper focuses on collective design as a way to improve the governance of complexity in the current anthropogenic era. The main conclusion highlights cultural marks depicting contemporary research trends, with a view to translate theoretical insights into practical experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]