Mission Statement
Design, to me, is a language of care, a way to restore connection between people, places, and the living world.
Biography
Liat Rogel, PhD, is a service designer and expert in social innovation, sustainability, and housing. With a PhD in Design from Politecnico di Milano and a background in industrial and service design, she applies creative and systemic thinking to address complex urban and social challenges.
She collaborates with European programmes such as URBACT and the European Urban Initiative (EUI), supporting cities in developing integrated strategies and innovative testing actions for sustainable urban regeneration. As founder of HousingLab, a laboratory for urban innovation in housing, she facilitates co-design processes that bring together citizens, institutions, and designers to prototype inclusive and sustainable living models.
Liat also teaches Designing the Sustainable City at IES Abroad Milan, exploring how design can foster more equitable and resilient urban systems. Her work bridges design research, public policy, and community practice, turning sustainability principles into tangible, human-centered strategies for the cities of tomorrow.
Questionnaire
Where do you want to foster change and why?
I want to foster change in cities, where daily life meets global challenges; because urban spaces hold the key to a more just and sustainable future.
What or who influenced you during your professional career?
Designers, activists, and ordinary citizens who imagine (and create!) better ways of living together continue to inspire my path.
We all have those significant moments or situations (success or failure); which one was yours, and what did you learn from it?
Leading the URBACT ROOF network, I faced the stark reality of a vulnerable immigrant family about to lose their home. I felt powerless, even like an imposter. But collaborating with cities to rethink housing policies showed me how small actions can transform lives.