Commoning NOT Cocooning
Lei Zhou
IGP Master Module Design Shortlisted in Bartlett Invents Competition
A postgraduate teaching module from the Institute for Global Prosperity (IGP) has been shortlisted in the 2025 Bartlett Invents competition. The module, designed by Dr. Lei Zhou, lecturer and module lead on the MSc Prosperity, People and Planet programme, rethinks how students engage with complex social issues by encouraging collaboration and innovation beyond the classroom.
How to transform “Module Study” into a “Matrix of Innovation,” delivered through “Media Impact,” as a way to create new career development pathways at the IGP was the key question for Lei Zhou when he designed and lectured the modules BGLP0018 and BGLP0019 (MSc Prosperity, People and Planet) in 2024/25.
“In order to showcase a commoning example with the spirit of People Powered Prosperity at UCL East, rather than creating a literature based “cocoon loop” or information bubble, I invited my PPP students to explore and think in unique ways of designing UCL campus prosperity through multidisciplinary perspectives”, says Lei Zhou.
Rationale Behind: “Campuspotting” like Trainspotting: Follow your passion and radically different ideas
The prolonged impact of Long Covid, along with the lasting side effects of the pandemic-era social policies, continues to wreak mental and socio-cultural havoc across all age groups - affecting children, teenagers and adults alike. At the same time, as global society advances its meta-design strategies toward a more controlled cybernetic and AI-generated content (AIGC) world, we are seeing a growing number of people from diverse cultural backgrounds at risk of developing moderate to severe depressive disorders. These risks are often rooted in childhood experiences of digital overexposure, reliance on “digital nannies”, lack of same-age-companions, and diminished parental care due to excessive media use. Additional contributing factors include family disruption, digital cocooning, and the confinement of social relationships.
“One Pool Street, One Person Study, One Person Dissertation, One Line Commuting - I encourage our students to step outside their personal prosperity bubble – not to bury their thoughts in isolated digital cocoons but to choose to bloom within UCL’s vibrant, connected environment.” Lei Zhou
Dr Lei Zhou was invited to present his ideas at IDEALondon later this month.
About The Barlett Invents
The Bartlett Invents! is a competition and showcase for innovative ideas in architecture, urban planning, and sustainability. Led by the UCL Centre for Sustainability and RealTech Innovation (CSRI), and powered by PGIM Real Estate, the aim is to identify, nurture, and amplify ground-breaking projects from across The Bartlett, creating clear and supported pathways into UCL’s commercialisation ecosystem.
The goal of this showcase and competition is to supercharge The Bartlett’s entrepreneurial pipeline in RealTech, inclusive design, sustainability, and urban innovation - the fields shaping the future of our cities, economies, and everyday lives.