Metro Futures is a research project that investigates air pollution inside underground systems, more specifically inside Madrid’s Metro. A silent yet significant problem caused by its hazardous materials and inefficient resource management, coupled with a concerning lack of data.

To tackle this Wicked Problem, this strategy aims to find a common interest among both public and private stakeholders by visualising the futures of air pollution through speculative scenarios.

From a transformational collaboration between all stakeholders, to unilateral approaches, descending into a dystopian reality.

Metro Futures proposes an interactive campaign that collects signatures to implement an air quality monitoring system inside the metro, allowing users to interact with the air they breathe on their daily commute.

About the designer

María Roig is a strategic designer and researcher based in Madrid. With a passion for sustainability, public speaking, and personal development, she thrives in problem solving, research based design and communicating across disciplines.

With a holistic design background, she highlights the role of a designer not as a sole inventor of a solution to complex problems, but rather as a facilitator and communicator of the pain points, repercussions, and possibilities associated with the problem itself.

Learn more about María’s work here.