Storefront for Community Design inspires equitable community-driven design through our innovative design education programs including low-cost design and planning assistance and design workshops. Check out our September Notes from the Field to learn about recent updates from our programs.
City Builders Design Workshop
Design Workshops
We convene project-based learning opportunities that focus on real world issues in the built environment and encourage youth and young adults to discover and design solutions that create effective change in their lives and communities. Learn more about City Builders Design Workshop.
Summer Session: Design Camp
Storefront for Community Design hosted a week-long summer City Builders Design camp that invited youth from all over the city to join. The goals of the summer design camp were to learn about the design process and gain exposure to design professions. Using the graphic novel No Small Plans, participants explored urban planning while following a group of teens in their discovery of Chicago’s past, present, and future. They were also tasked to explore the Jackson Ward community and design a vacant lot at N 2nd Street and Jackson street.
The week began with a guided tour by Gary Flowers, Walking the Ward, to learn about the Jackson Ward community and its history. An architect from Baskervill stopped by to speak about his profession and a current project happening in Jackson Ward that his firm worked on. Later in the week, we visited the project site with a landscape architect and learned about plan drawings. Using what we learned at the project site, youth participants teamed up to discuss and design what they thought was needed in the Jackson Ward community. On the last day, we celebrated with the youth as they presented their project ideas to their peers and families.
image: City Builders during our summer camp program
This program was made possible by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act in partnership with NextUP and the City of Richmond’s Gun Violence Prevention Initiative. A HUGE thank you to all the partners who made this possible.
Summer Interns
Guess who’s back…. our interns from last summer returned this summer to assist with developing activities for our summer design program. The interns also created our very first reel for instagram to help with recruitment for the program! They were a huge help with the preparation and execution of City Builders and offered youth insight on meetings, programs, and future projects. We look forward to our continued partnership with Partnership for the Future and having our intern back next summer.
image: SFCD summer interns
Design Session
Low-cost Design and Planning Assistance
We provide community members design and planning assistance at an intimate, approachable level including one-on-one advice, conceptual sketches, and plans of action from volunteer design and planning professionals. Learn more about Design Session.
Activating Vacant Space for Youth Programming in Northside
Earlier this summer, we met with Yvette and Kristin, a mother and daughter, looking to re-activate a vacant building in Richmond’s Northside and fill a community need. Through our Design Session program, they were able to work with volunteer design professionals Lisa Moon and Paul Bethel to create an interior design concept for a youth programming center and better articulate their vision while honoring the legacy of their family and community through visual design elements.
image: Volunteer design professionals meeting with community collaborators at the project site.
Creative Engagement for Greenspace Design in the East End
Since the spring we've been collaborating with Bon Secours Center for Healthy Living Sarah Garland Jones Center to create a gathering space on a nearby empty grass lot. With the help of professional landscape architect volunteers from Timmons Group, we strategized on a custom engagement activity asking residents what they envision in a healing space and created a conceptual design based on feedback.
image: Engagement activity designed by volunteer design professionals.
Updates:
We have NCARB credits!
Are you working towards your architecture license and looking to earn AXP credits? We've been pre-approved by NCARB for community-based design center/collaborative opportunities! Volunteers may submit recently completed experience at Storefront through their NCARB record.
VCUarts mOb studio begins
If you stop by our office this fall, you will notice a very active space on Mondays and Wednesdays! mOb studio kicked off their semester in late August with a large mix of interior design, fashion design, and urban planning students. Led by VCUarts faculty Emily Smith and Kristin Caskey, student groups will collaborate on a mix of student-led and community-led design projects.
Community Visioning
Low-cost Design and Planning Assistance
We provide community-based design and planning assistance that inspires community members to take action, leverage their creativity, and realize a shared vision that strengthens our neighborhoods. Learn about Community Visioning.
Jackson Ward Community Plan
In August, Storefront for Community Design collaborated with the Jackson Ward Community Plan team to host two workshops with Gilpin Court and Jackson Ward residents, planning experts, and stakeholders. The meetings provided a review of the Choice Neighborhood Plan (CNP) process and an opportunity for everyone to share input and generate ideas for the future of Jackson Ward.
image: Interactive lego activity to replicate urban blocks in the Jackson Ward neighborhood; activity developed by LRK.
Several interactive stations filled the space, creating avenues for residents to both learn about the project and generate ideas. As attendees moved through the workshop, they took part in a variety of activities to help them learn more about urban design and housing and to give them platforms to generate ideas. The interactive stations included:
A learning activity about housing types, such as single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and apartments. Attendees learned about architectural styles and voted on favorites, with American Classic and Craftsman styles the top choices. Attendees also gave input about the building elements that are important to them. Residents said that walk-in closets, balconies, porches, multiple bathrooms with electrical outlets, and a bathroom with a tub were some of the elements most important to them.
An activity about neighborhood urban blocks and amenities using legos. The activity explained different housing types and surrounding land uses and amenities. For example, one block may include row homes, a church, and mixed-use buildings with apartments above ground floor commercial space. Residents were most enthusiastic about recreational amenities such as playgrounds and about community programming like community kitchens.
One-on-one discussions about how the community plan can assist with improving quality of life. Among the questions the team asked was, “What can we do to help you improve your health?” Some residents said that being able to easily check in with their doctor and participate in health and wellness education courses would help improve their health. Other residents thought new tree-lined walking paths would benefit their health.
image: Community Engagement/Visioning schedule for Jackson Ward Community Plan: May 2022 to November 2023
Check out the Jackson Ward Community Plan webpage to learn more about upcoming meetings and to review past meeting materials.