Architectural design plays a crucial role in sustainable city development. In fast-growing cities in developing countries, it can be a challenge to reach sustainable results. In this paper, we propose the use of Empathic Design, borrowed from the human-centered design field, as one means to support the work of architects and other stakeholders in these settings. To investigate aspects in which this method could be helpful, we have synthesized two existing sustainability models and applied them to three examples of affordable housing from different low-resource settings. After analysis of the examples, we propose a model with an equal balance between the four different dimensions of sustainability—environmental, economic, social, and cultural—where the aspects that need inhabitant engagement are highlighted. We argue that, to be able to hold the balance between the diverse dimensions of sustainability, the architect needs to understand in-depth the living conditions of people for whom he or she is designing. This calls for a fine-tuned participatory approach when designing in low-resource settings. It may not always be easy to reach this level of participation, but we propose that it can be achieved when the architecture is created through empathic involvement. The use of Empathic Design methods throughout the design process thus supports the endeavor towards sustainable results.

Co-design aims to bring designers and end-users together to improve the quality of design projects. In this paper, we study how the distance between designers and users can be reduced with an empathic approach particularly in settings where it is significant. By investigating various approaches on empathy in design and architecture, we were able to retrospectively understand different aspects of the design process of a maternity ward project in which we were involved. Engaging a theoretical clarification of empathy as a multi-dimensional concept made it possible to empirically explicate diverse difficulties that designers face when trying to employ empathy as a guiding philosophy in their work. As a result, we identified three registers of empathy on a varying scale of depth that can be integrated in the design process. Our work shows that various registers of empathy can complement each other or be utilised in different circumstances where one form might be more appropriate than another. By presenting these registers, we seek to unbox the different views on empathy and draw attention to the potential of empathic engagement when aiming for depth in a project.