This was one of the design strategies that Ross Evans proposed during his Shifting Landscapes lecture. The phrase means that a project should be initiated towards the third world countries, brought to the first world countries for further conceptualization and to correlate it with the advanced technology and industries, and finally, the concept that was previously developed should be taken back to the third world to be applied there.
Ross Evans describes himself as a “renaissentrepreneur,” a title which well-portrays his passion in both business and social design. He believes in the power of design, and strives to bring about good changes in the world and help the other 90% of humanity. He is the co-founder of a non-profit international organization called WorldBike, whose main goal is to solve problems of the world through bicycle designs. It connects bicycle designers, industry leaders and international development professionals, and strives to provide transportation solutions and create income-generating opportunities for the poor.
One of the projects that WorldBike has been working on is the development of the Big Boda. The name comes from the term “Boda Boda,” which is the name for bike-taxis in East Africa. The problems with these traditional Boda Bodas are that they are heavy and expensive, but not durable enough for the circumstance. The bicycle industries in the past had been focusing on the users in the first world countries only, to whom bicycling is mainly for recreational purposes. Thus, the bicycles were ill-suited for use in the developing countries. It was WorldBike who took the initiative to improve the situation by creating a bicycle that is less expensive, lighter, sturdier, and contextual.
The Big Boda is their lowest cost design, and it was developed in partnership with Kickstart International to assist the bike-taxi drivers in East Africa (mainly Kisumu, Kenya.) It is a bicycle with a longer wheelbase and higher durability. It has a cargo space or a space for passengers that won’t interfere with the performance of the driver. It is also lighter and more stable to haul on. The Big Boda, the extended, improved version of Boda Boda, definitely confronts and solves the problems.During his lecture, Ross Evans emphasized that you cannot successfully design something for the third world countries without actually going there and spending time with the people. In the process of designing the bicycle for Kenya, he actually went there, became friends with the Kenyan people, and sat on the ground, surrounding a bowl of food that they all shared. As he showed us some of the photos from when he worked in Kenya, he explained the significance of experiencing the lives of the people, and integrating that experience into the design, in order to truly capture the essence of what they need. Knowledge is power. Without knowing what the needs are, it is difficult to design something that is actually useful when it is put into the context.
The great part about this design is that its application is not restricted to the developing countries only. Instead, it has a wide range of applicability. Ross Evans is also a co-founder of a company called Xtracycle. This company produces bicycles that are more targeted towards the users in the first world countries, but the main concept is essentially the same. The Xtracycle bicycles have extended storage capacity, so that people can use their bicycles for everyday use, such as grocery shopping or picking up a child. Plus, they can be used for recreational purposes, such as family camping. This encourages people to think about and contribute to sustainability. 
Frankly speaking, when I attended his presentation, at first, I did not quite understand how a bicycle could possibly conduct a social change. But now, it makes sense. Once you find the right opportunity and understand the problem, anything can bring a change to this world. As Ross Evans said during his presentation, once you identify the problem, “the problem will always pick and follow you.”
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