SUMMARY
Low-tech, as opposed to high-tech, refers to a category of techniques or know-how that enable the manufacture of easily repairable goods or the development of easily adaptable, resource-efficient and resilient services. These goods and services are based on three key principles: they are useful, sustainable and accessible. Low-tech innovation approaches start from the "right need", are agile, resource-efficient and must be applied at the "right scale". This type of approach is techno-critical, without being technophobic (cf. Ch'ti Bine, which uses solar panels).
Low-tech approaches offer an alternative trajectory to our dominant development model and should be considered with interest, as they make people, organizations and territories more responsible for their environmental and social impacts, but also more autonomous and resilient in times of crisis.
Keywords: accessibility, basic needs, decarbonation, sustainability, habitat, high-tech, innovation, social innovation, low-tech, mobility, resilience, sobriety, technology, transition, transitional urbanism.
Illustration: Atelier Paysan's "Ch'ti Bine" © Low-tech Lab, Julien Lemaistre
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