John Thackara is a writer, curator and leading voice on sustainable futures. He connects design with daily life, clean growth and mental wellbeing, sharing real-world stories from cities and bioregions. He helps diverse partners build lasting ecological relationships, publishes at thackara.com, and speaks at conferences, corporate events and arts festivals.
Born in the UK and now based in southwest France, John studied philosophy, trained as a journalist and spent a decade as a book publisher and magazine editor. He later became Director of Research at the Royal College of Art and went on to lead the Netherlands Design Institute in Amsterdam, where he launched the celebrated Doors of Perception conference.
He served as programme director for Designs of the Time in North East England, a flagship of UK social innovation known as Dott07. In France he curated City Eco Lab for the Saint Étienne design biennial, a hands-on platform for relational design and urban rural reconnection.
John is a Senior Fellow at the Royal College of Art and a Fellow of Musashino Art University in Japan. He has advised the UK Design Council and Policy Connect’s Design Commission. He has also worked as a visiting professor with a special focus on place based professional workshops that enable relationships across communities and sectors.
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