Vol 2 . Diseño Público - Public Design Map in Latin America

Context

In Latin America, public design has consolidated itself as a diverse and expanding practice. It takes shape in innovation teams inside the State, in service units, in projects driven by international organisations, and in private sector and civil society organisations that collaborate with public institutions. However, much of this work unfolds in contexts of high institutional turnover. Changes of government and administration frequently interrupt public innovation initiatives, and with them valuable learning is lost that is rarely recorded.

Challenge

Despite the growth of the practice, there was no regional, systematic view of who practises public design in Latin America, where they do it, what kinds of projects they work on, and from which institutions. The available knowledge was fragmented into isolated cases, making it difficult to recognise the contribution of those who sustain this practice, connect their communities, and build evidence to guide its future development.

Approach & Methodology

The Map of Public Design in Latin America is a collaborative research project led by UNIT and Public Design Collective, with the support of Northeastern University and the Royal College of Art, through Design Futures. Between October and December 2025, the team ran a survey across 20 countries and in three languages (Spanish, English, and Portuguese) aimed at people who practise public design in the region. The survey brought together 127 practitioners, who reported 311 projects and 271 institutions involved. The study understands public design as the intentional use of design approaches and tools, such as people-centred research, co-creation, service design, and systems thinking, to address public sector problems and processes.

Key Findings & Results

The report presents a first analysis of the Map around two axes: the people who do this work and the projects they drive. In terms of people, the results show a mature professional field with strong territorial roots. 81% of respondents report eight or more years of experience, and 91% live and work in their country of origin. It is also an interdisciplinary practice: more than half combine design with fields such as public administration, the social sciences, architecture, technology, or law. The qualitative analysis identified four recurring pathways into public design (disruptors, advocates, public servants, and researchers), which share a motivation oriented towards collective wellbeing and the transformation of the State.

In terms of projects, public design happens above all from within and alongside the State. 80.5% of the projects detailed have a direct link to a ministry or government office, and 56.9% were led by government institutions at national, regional, or local level. This shows that the innovation lab is only one of the forms the practice takes. Projects are mainly action-oriented: piloting solutions, implementing services, and supporting organisational change. To do so they combine user research, co-creation, service design, prototyping, and systems thinking. Although Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina account for more than 80% of single-country projects, the Map also brings visibility to experiences in less documented countries, such as Bolivia, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Significance & Implications

This publication is the second in UNIT's Public Design series and the first output of a living project. Documenting and giving visibility to the work of those who practise public design aims to ensure their contributions endure beyond political cycles, are recognised, and can inspire new transformations. The findings offer a basis for public managers, designers, researchers, and international cooperation organisations to understand the state of the practice and strengthen their networks. In the coming phases, the project will develop in-depth case studies, a regional publication integrating these findings into the literature on public design, and new spaces for connection for professionals across Latin America.

Key Takeaways

1. Public design in Latin America is a mature practice with strong territorial roots: 81% of survey respondents report eight or more years of professional experience, and 91% live and work in their country of origin.
2. Public design happens above all from within and alongside the State: 80.5% of the projects detailed have a direct link to a ministry or government office, and 56.9% were led by government institutions at national, regional, or local level.
3. It is an interdisciplinary practice: 51% combine design with other fields, such as public administration, the social sciences, architecture, technology, or law, with design acting as a bridge between different forms of knowledge.
4. It is an action-oriented practice: 54.5% of projects aim to pilot solutions and 46.3% to implement services, while only 4.1% focus on generating transferable knowledge.
5. Continuity depends on the institutional environment: 65% identify institutional support and 50.4% funding as key factors. Political changes affect regional projects (56.2%) and local projects (46.2%) more than national ones (25%).

More about this project

• Find more information about the map.
• Explore the interactive map, with the full dataset: people, projects, topics, and methodologies by country.
• Two academic publications, forthcoming, for those who want to go beyond the overview.
• Stay up to date with CBF LATAM, the Latin American edition of the Creative Bureaucracy Festival that UNIT is building for 2027 in Santiago, a space for continuing this regional conversation.