[10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series]
image: Postcard and flyers developed for the 2015 Association for Community Design Conference
In 2014, Storefront staff members attended the Association for Community Design’s (ACD) national conference in Detroit. The semiannual ACD Conference seeks to share best practices of community design, build coalitions among practitioners, and facilitate exchanges between national practitioners and local organizations.
As staff met people from across the country involved in community design and learned about strategies other cities were using to engage with their communities, they knew they needed to bring this conference to Richmond. After submitting a proposal to host the 2015 conference, Storefront’s “Neighbors” theme was chosen! The theme sought to bring the focus back to that most basic unit of the community. While learning from other cities is important, the focus on neighbors reminded participants that it is critical to take into account the people of each unique community rather than simply replicate programs of others.
image: Presentations, conversations, and events took place throughout Broad Street Arts District and the Jackson Ward neighborhood.
The focus on the unique aspects of community and community design resulted in a conference that was unique and completely Richmond. The conference took place over three action-packed days in June of 2015. Rather than holding all the events in a single conference center, the whole of the Broad Street Arts District and the Jackson Ward neighborhood became the backdrop for the conference. Sessions were held at the historic Hippodrome Theater, the VCU Arts Depot, and local art galleries sprinkled along Broad Street and throughout Jackson Ward. Traversing between events and sessions became a tour of the city itself, giving participants a real opportunity to immerse themselves in Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
“The ACD Conference in Richmond was one of the most unique and engaging conferences I’ve ever been to. The sessions were great, but the things I remember most were the opportunities to meet people from across the country who were doing amazing things in community design and engage with them on a personal level through the lunch event, community dine-around, and walking tours.”
image: A guide map created for conference-goers to get around the neighborhoods.
The conference included several keynote and breakout sessions led by national leaders in the field of community design including Lisa Nisenson, Co-Founder of Greaterplaces in Washington DC, Archie Lee Coates of Playlab Inc. in New York, and Katie Swenson, previously with Community Enterprise Partners in Boston. Community Dine-Arounds were organized at several neighborhood restaurants giving participants opportunities to try some of Richmond’s delicious local cuisine and get to know other conference-goers in a small-group atmosphere. Walking Tours provided more opportunities to learn about and experience some of the unique neighborhoods that make up the city.
The conference brought together planners, designers, architects, scholars, and community activists from 15 states, 19 major cities, 9 universities, and 8 community design centers. At the same time, it also engaged 7 different local galleries and small businesses that opened their doors to welcome participants and support Storefront. In essence, it was a conversation for our national neighbors by our next-door neighbors to celebrate the joint mission of community design.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
We can only continue because of your generous support that makes it possible for Storefront to create impactful and consistent programming and events like “Neighbors.” In honor of our 10th anniversary and to ensure future funding, we are laying the foundation for the next 10 years of community impact. Money raised will be invested in a variety of ways that, taken together, are designed to increase Storefront's mission and programming that will bring positive change to Richmond communities over the next 10 years.
10 YEARS, 10 STORIES OF IMPACT
Follow Storefront for Community Design’s 10 Years, 10 Stories of Impact series to learn more about our impact over the last ten years and check out a timeline of milestones for an overview of our work.
01 | Storefront is Born
02 | Ms. Thompson’s Kitchen
03 | mOb + Storefront = ❤️
04 | Recovery by Design
05 | A Celebration of Community Design
06 | Designing an Innovation Center
07 | Building a Brave Space
08 | General Demotion / General Devotion
09 | Community Driven Design Process
10 | A Vision for the Future