Jens Martin Skibsted

“Design negotiates between technology, policy, systems, and users.”

“Cities are important because that's where the majority of the world's population lives and an even bigger share of the global economy resides.”

“Time hygiene is about finding more time for ourselves: to think, to do what we like.”

“Effective altruism is a philosophy and social movement which tries to work out the most effective ways to improve the world. Effective altruists - conform to old-school utilitarian principles - consider all causes and actions, and then act in the way that they believe brings about the greatest positive impact.”

“Being design-led means designers take ideas from the abstract to the concrete, from potential to real value.”

“From NASA putting a man on the moon to DARPA developing what later became the Internet, the U.S. government, through a host of different public agencies, has provided direct financing not only of basic research but also public venture capital; both Apple and Tesla have received direct public funding.”

“The road to energy efficiency is, in theory, a sustainability sweepstake. More efficiency means that less fuel is required to generate a given amount of energy, which in turn means lower costs for the provider and cheaper prices for the customers.”

“When democracies don't deliver growth, alternatives seem more attractive.”

“A structured design approach can heighten the hit rate in the fuzzy front end of innovation processes in public and private sectors.”

“Looking at the numbers, the transatlantic slave trade matches the Holocaust in horror - maybe even without counting subsidiary effects like internal strife and deaths inflected on the continent, death during transport, death during ownership, collapse of African economies, and such.”

“The advantage of using airships in remote areas with little road infrastructure to support development is clear. Airships could ensure the delivery of humanitarian supplies to remote communities.”

“A company's ethical behavior is ultimately triggered by some sense of caring. And care is a sense of closeness to someone or something. A company must bring value to whom or what it is close to.”

“The challenge of pollution and global warming is no longer the science, or the rate of innovation, but the rate of implementation: We have the clean solutions; now let's bundle them and install them.”

“Major global institutions need to harvest clean tech knowledge wherever it can be found and integrate it into their major export systems.”

“Leisure activities such as contemplation, going for a stroll or a bike ride boost our overall health, wellbeing, and creativity.”

“I've seen many of those brand collaborations where, basically, the only point is sticking on a Gucci sticker. That degrades good brands.”

“We inadvertently keep oppressing Africans when we label them by an approximated color - and even when we confuse a specific socio-cultural group such as the Afro-Americans with Africans.”

“I believe that to further strategic growth and development via design, we need to have a set of public design policies.”

“The cost of building large airships can be prohibitive. The entry barrier is considerable and could be a show-stopper for large-scale projects.”

“How people move around their city is a big deal. It affects productivity, security, health, and global warming, among other things.”