Need to know
17 : 08 : 21

China & Italy – Seeking to broaden the cultural reach of Italy within China, the Sino-Italian Cultural Exchange City Reception Center in Chengdu will serve as a local government base for hosting cross-cultural exhibitions and events.

Created by aoe architects, the space fuses both Chinese and Italian design influence, with elements such as open plazas, columns and domes sitting alongside a bamboo forest, courtyard and tea rooms.

The space, which is free to explore, provides Chinese residents with a taste of international culture at a time when travel remains restricted. ‘We hoped to find the intersection of cultural differences between East and West, to allow visitors to enjoy Italian and Chinese culture at the same time and to experience the difference,’ says Larry Wen, founder of aoe architects.

While Chinese citizens are currently reliant on domestic trips in lieu of international travel, such projects allow people to experience different cultures while remaining on home turf. To discover similar innovations, explore the idea of near-far destinations within Neighbourhood Travel.

US – Responding to the need to create more inclusive digital experiences, the Braille Institute is making its easy-to-read Atkinson Hyperlegible font available on Google Fonts.

The typeface, created by design studio Applied, avoids conventional design approaches around uniformity to instead focus on letterform distinction. In this way, the font enables people with low-vision to access digital information and create content within Google programmes. ‘People may be surprised that the vast majority of the students who come to Braille Institute have some degree of vision,’ comments Sandy Shin, vice president for marketing and communications at the Braille Institute. ‘They're not 100% blind.’ Such concepts therefore recognise the importance of using design cues to serve a wider range of audiences.

Elsewhere, we’ve explored the ways that companies are supporting diverse consumer groups through inclusive approaches to everyday technology. While these innovations primarily focus on hardware, Atkinson Hyperlegible sets an example of how inclusive software can be made available for the masses.

With the UK’s packaging pollution growing at an alarming rate, a study by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) finds that branded items are largely to blame for clogging up Britain’s coastlines.

Its annual brand audit report finds that almost two-thirds (65%) of all branded packaging pollution along the UK coastline can be traced back to just 12 companies. These include Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch InBev and McDonald’s.

Hugo Tagholm, CEO of SAS, offers a solution, commenting: ‘Legislation such as an ‘all-in’ deposit scheme needs to be introduced urgently, and governments need to hold these companies to account and turn off the tap of plastic and packaging pollution flooding the ocean.’ The report also suggests that more than half (52%) of the pollution from these 12 companies would be captured through such a scheme, including 80% of Coca-Cola’s products.

While brands and governments are failing to act, an emerging community of Regenizens are taking matters into their own hands and ensuring they’re making sustainable, regenerative and ethical product choices.