Design as relational infrastructure – Universities, territories, and systemic transformations

In the debate on Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 10, territorial innovation is often interpreted through technological and productive parameters, while cultural and educational infrastructures remain marginal. This contribution proposes that Design be understood as a relational infrastructure capable of connecting universities, territories, and productive systems. The analysis is based on a comparison between the two editions of the Design&Territori exhibition and conference series (Palermo 2018 and Agrigento 2025), taken as an observatory of university-based design practices. The results show, on the one hand, a shift from a product-centred paradigm to a systemic approach oriented towards services, networks, and community capability-building and, on the other, the structural limits that hinder the stabilisation of these processes.