By Henry Sanoff Community design stands for an alternative style of practice, based on the idea that professional technical knowledge is often inadequate in the resolution of social problems. It is an umbrella term covering community planning, community architecture, social architecture, community development and community participation, all of which emphasize the involvement of local people […]

By Kathy Dorgan Each community design center (CDC) has a unique and winning personality. The character of these participatory public interest professional design practices are shaped by the communities they serve, their funders and, perhaps most importantly, their leadership. Centers vary widely in their organizational structure, the constituencies served, the type of projects undertaken and […]

By Ron Shiffman Though the practice of community design has a history that includes over four decades of accomplishments, its contribution to the practice of architecture and its role in the rebuilding of communities, neighborhoods and cities is still often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Community design, when practiced genuinely, goes far beyond the planning, design and […]

By Michael Pyatok Individual vs. Collective In the early 1960s, some planners and architects began to question the obvious and not-so-obvious fusion between their professions’ interests and belief systems on the one hand, and those of private capital and/or governments, quick to support the desires of private capital, on the other hand. For the past […]