Islands Institute courses propose the model of "Transformative Projects" to address Design Problems in our home communities. Is the work we are doing changing culture, challenging institutions, or transforming the physical world? Is it changing the way we know things, or creating new knowledge? The matrix below is suggested as one way to identify "transformative projects."
Working with the matrix might also stimulate new approaches to Design Problems. Which place on the matrix are you most comfortable working? How could an activity be redesigned so that it fits into a different place on the matrix?
| Individual Action | Community Project | Institutional Change | |
| Changing Culture/ Paradigms | |||
| Changing the Physical World | |||
| Changing What is Known / Unknown |
Community Cultural Development