Live projects engage with real communities and are an increasing mode of practice within university design studio teaching. Such projects reflect a growing social and ethical commitment to expand the role of design education beyond the academy. The Live Projects collection of essays represents a diverse group of case-studies of university-led live design projects, gathered into a critical mass of design research that sits between design, social science and building. The focus is on a range of live projects as the vehicle for describing the aspirations, rationale, outcomes, and ultimately speculating on the effectiveness, of this specific teaching model. The case-studies offer a range of local, national and international examples selected to act as benchmarks or critical inspirations for the further development of successful models of design action, and to provide discussion on live project models within the university setting.
