Facing the complexity of contemporary scenario and the tensions between global and local levels, effective and transformative design practices need to integrate not only material resources, but also include broader meanings, shape perceptions, thoughts, cultures, knowledge and resources that constitute and characterize a certain locality. This perspective gives place to the contribution of design in local segments starting from practices derived from the subjects’ point of view on their environment, with outlines defined from the interferences in environmental, sociopolitical, symbolic, and economic dimensions that coexist in the social locus. In order to investigate the main design strategies oriented to social innovation with a focus on local development, this research investigates the theories and practices developed in Brazilian design field, and discusses how these strategies have been implemented in the different contexts of economic-solidarity achievements. This study was conducted from theoretical and empirical research based on the content analysis method in order to map the strategies already used by Brazilian design research centers. The analysis was performed in three design research centers, including the different process of implanting and the main potentialities and barriers. The final result of this thesis consists on the elaboration of parameters for the project process, providing recommendations to the integration of design strategies oriented to social innovation and local development.