The article deals with the theme of design applied to the territories, from the perspective of sustainability, presenting theoretical bases for the action of the designer in participatory experiences, relating social and cultural concepts, design and territories, from the Italian perspective. The text presents as an example the summary of projects carried out by students and artisans, in a narrative that reinforces these relations in the experience of the co-projective development of products in the territory of Sousse in Tunisia, through the cooperation between Design students from the University of Florence, schools from Tunisia and local artisans. Resulting in products based on the application of design as a solution to the viability of productive models that respect the collaborate with the symbolic expression of cultural and functional traits of this territory, aiming at improving local socio-cultural conditions, strengthening the concepts of sustainability for territories even in face of globalized demand.