Communities by Design Community Blog

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Grant County, NM: A Vision for Five Points

By Paola Capo posted 02-15-2022
Project process and background Process and timeline Grant County applied to the AIA for a Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) in 2019 to provide recommendations for the future of five historical buildings/sites in Grant County. The project ...
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Cannelton Can: Preserving history while looking to the future

By Paola Capo posted 11-19-2021
This fall, the AIA Communities by Design visited Cannelton, Indiana. Below, find a summary of the process and the recommendations presented by our team. You can read the full report here . Project Background and Process In late 2019, Cannelton applied ...
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The Palm District: Austin’s Cultural Hub

By Paola Capo posted 09-15-2021
This summer, the AIA Communities by Design hosted its first ever virtual Design Assistance Team in the city of Austin, specifically the Palm District in downtown Austin. Below, find a summary of the process and the outcomes of the process. You can read ...
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Our legacy and record of success

By Paola Capo posted 03-01-2021
Our legacy The Communities by Design (CxD) program reflects decades of work in hundreds of communities with tens of thousands of volunteers and citizens. It has catalyzed adaptation of its innovative approach to communities through training activities, ...
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Lessons from the Pearl District: Designing Complete Places

By Joel Mills posted 10-28-2020
In Portland, Oregon, a derelict warehouse district with rampant vacancy was transformed during the last two decades of the 20 th century into the “Pearl District,” a neighborhood known worldwide for its vibrant life and unique character. One local reflection ...
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Reflections on Design and Social Justice

By Michael R. Davis FAIA posted 09-23-2020
We love to tell stories about how design assistance teams from the AIA’s Communities by Design use the participatory design process to help communities see through intractable problems or find better ways to imagine their futures. But we – the people ...
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Learning from "The Boise Revolution" (video)

By Joel Mills posted 07-07-2020
The f uture of retail in America is under renewed focus as COVID-19 forces declining retail models to fold. The shopping mall as a retail model has been in decline for years, but the pandemic has hastened its demise. Analysts are now predicting ...
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In Defense of Cities: Density and the Pandemic

By Joel Mills posted 06-02-2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rash of reporting connecting our cities with the spread of disease and revisiting old stereotypes about urban life. The common narrative has rationalized that cities are more prone to disease transmission given ...
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Welcome! Ways to engage with the CxD community

By Paola Capo posted 06-02-2020
Welcome to the CxD community! AIA’s Center for Communities by Design is an AIA public service focused on helping cities and towns across the US and abroad transform to meet the needs of their communities. Engage with us to learn more about strategies ...
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