70 designers from South Africa and around the world joined hands, minds and hearts for two weeks in April this year at an ICSID Interdesign held in Rustenburg. This coming-together of creative talent was to address design problems surrounding sustainable rural transport for developing communities.

The workshop was divided into four focus areas – animal-drawn carts, bicycles and tricycles, alternative modes of transport and communication. The two-week period saw the development of several concepts, 19 of which were eventually considered to have real potential and to possibly alleviate transport problems in the communities. Of these, several have been developed into prototypes and tested amongst the original communities.

On 21 September 2005, The Design Institute hosted "Design as a catalyst for development" - a day aimed at reviewing Interdesign 2005 and looking at ways to harness design for development in South Africa.

Discussion topics included the perceptions formed and suggestions made during and after the Interdesign workshop, the way forward in implementing the Interdesign concepts and outcomes. Interested members of the public are welcome to download presentations from the event, or the overall Report of the workshop findings. A glossy, printed publisation of the event is available from the SABS Design Institute.