The growing popularity of design thinking in both corporate and administrative sectors has revealed the potential of user-centric approaches to drive societal transformation. However, the application of this expertise to socio-technical transitions remains in its early stages. Previous work (Abramovici et al., 2023; 2022) has lighted the challenges of mobilizing citizen participation in urban projects, demonstrating the limitations of existing frameworks. Our research emphasizes the critical role education plays in preparing design experts to empower individuals and communities, enabling them to contribute to problem-solving and decision-making processes within urban development.