Introduction
Maker Change project has emerged as a response to urban disconnection from nature that accelerates ecological degradation and lessens community bonds. Cities contribute over 75% of natural resource consumption and 80% of global emissions (UN-Habitat, 2022). Yet, many citizens feel overwhelmed by the climate crisis, uncertain of how to contribute to solutions.
Maker Change addresses this gap by introducing a system of interactive, modular tree sculptures that function as public action hubs. These open-source trees host action cards with regenerative challenges and are supported by a free app and downloadable guide, enabling communities anywhere to implement, adapt, and sustain the project independently.
Project Formulation
Maker Change started with a simple question: How can we create a participatory object that encourages people to take sustainable actions and reconnect with nature and their environment? The concept evolved into a modular, sculptural "tree" made of sustainable or reclaimed materials. The tree is open-source and designed for fabrication at any scale (CNC, laser, cardboard) and in any context.
At its core, Maker Change is a circular system: a symbolic and functional intervention that encourages community-driven environmental stewardship through small, trackable actions. The goal was to build a movement through distributed design, encouraging local adaptation while maintaining a shared global identity. This required building not just objects, but also frameworks, community tools, and a clear protocol for adaptation, co-creation, and autonomy.
Our experiments began with activating small-scale, place-based ecological engagement through a hybrid model of digital and physical interventions. This report reflects on the full stack of implementation, from ideation and prototyping to metrics and future directions, with a focus on impact, co-design, replicability, and circularity.
Hyperlocal context analysis
The Maker Change project is rooted in hyperlocal action and responsiveness to context. Its development emerged not in isolation, but from an ecosystem of community collaboration, material experimentation, and urban interventions. Each step in the project’s evolution was deeply informed by the place in which it was tested and the people who participated in shaping it.
From the beginning, the project was designed to be mapped to its context. In Barcelona, early tests took place as pop-ups in public squares, on the street, in transfolab that generously hosted initial workshops. This environment provided a unique opportunity to connect with residents through participatory events. We hosted a biomaterial workshop with Damian from Woody.bio alongside permaculture tips to do at home to increase the life of your food. There was also open dialogue in terms of design and shared tree storytelling that lead to participants designing a tree that we then made for them to take home. These workshops laid the groundwork for understanding the interests, needs, and desires of the neighbourhood, while simultaneously fostering community ownership of the tree design and the beginning of metric measurements.
Participants were encouraged to log feedback directly into the app and I used stickers and maps to collate initial information in a fast paced manner and approached members of the public with a multi-sensory city and forest experience involving touch, sound and smell, an example of directly bringing an experience into a live context.
Intervention 1
Intervention 2
Intervention 2 with audio (1).mp4
Intervention 3