Title: A Socio-Technical Approach Drives Sustainability in Makerspaces

Mizan Rahman

Ph.D. Student in Human-Centered Computing (HCC) 

School of Interactive Computing

Georgia Institute of Technology

Date: Monday, Oct 13th, 2025

Time: 10am - 12pm ET

Location: TSRB room 223, or Zoom

Committee:

• Dr. Rosa Arriaga (advisor) – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Dr. Keith Edwards – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Dr. Richard Henneman – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Dr. Judith Uchidiuno  – School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Dr. Udaya Lakshmi – Microsoft Research

Abstract:

Makerspaces are community-operated innovation centers that support creativity, learning, and entrepreneurship. Despite their growing role in local innovation ecosystems, many struggle to survive, with closures disrupting communities and halting programs. This dissertation investigates how makerspaces achieve long-term sustainability through a socio-technical approach that emphasizes the dynamic interplay of people, culture, and digital systems. Drawing on three and a half years of ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and participant observation across multiple U.S. makerspaces, I present three studies. The first defines sustainability in this context and develops a multidimensional framework that conceptualizes it as a system dynamic, interweaving people, tools, community, culture, management, finance, and processes. The second examines how inclusive practices—such as diverse leadership, equitable policies, and safe spaces—foster participation and retention, thereby reinforcing sustainability. The third study applies Swidler’s cultural theory to show how social technologies, such as Slack, scaffold and sustain community culture, which the first study identified as the most critical factor for sustainability.

Together, these studies demonstrate that makerspace sustainability is not determined solely by access to resources or equipment, but by a socio-technical process—a dynamic interplay of people, culture, governance, and digital infrastructures. This work contributes to HCI by advancing theory and offering practical strategies for sustaining community-driven innovation centers.