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.
DesignRVA Envisions Richmond Through the Eyes of the City’s Young People
More than than 250 Richmonders attended our first-ever DesignRVA event on Saturday, June 24th at The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design! During this day-long community event, children and their families were given the opportunity to interact and engage in hands-on activities to raise awareness of the four critical needs identified in the Richmond 300 plan — health and wellness, housing, land use, and transportation. Attendees were asked the question "How would you design a more fair and equitable neighborhood?"
We believe that when young people have space to imagine what their communities can become, they’re likely be active participants in sharing their environment for generations to come. Storefront launched this event to introduce these visioning opportunities to a younger audience and encourage conversations around city planning and equitable development.
Volunteers from community-based organizations and design professions like architecture, engineering, urban planning, and construction offered hands-on activities to build elements of a neighborhood. The result is a 5x12 foot tabletop display depicting a 3-D map of our Richmond through their eyes and ears. The map was on display at Storefront during August First Fridays and is now on view at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch through September in the children’s department!
Learn more about DesignRVA in Style Weekly: Vision Quest
Many thanks to our DesignRVA sponsors, advisory council, and volunteers who made the event possible: Virginia Housing | Baskervill | Genworth | DPR Construction | Fall Line | Hanbury | Moseley Architects | Creative Office Environments | GRACRE | VHB
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. Want to receive our upcoming project calls? Sign up to be a Design Session volunteer !
01 MLK Jr. middle school restorative garden
Community partners meet Storefront volunteers for a site visit at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School restorative garden. This summer, we're helping envision a conceptual landscape design with a holistic approach that continues cultivating the urban garden and provides space for programs already taking place within the school and surrounding community.
Once known as "Howard's Grove," this used to be a popular picnic-recreation area that was developed into a Confederate hospital and later repurposed for a mental health hospital for African-Americans.
02 The Hive Campus
This summer we worked with The Hive, a local non-profit, and a passionate volunteer team at Quinn Evans to create a conceptual site plan for The Hive Campus, a project that serves the holistic needs of young people transitioning into adulthood. The team led the partners through a participatory design process to visualize an unprecedented, multi-acre site that brings together community-based, holistic infrastructure that supports young people impacted by the justice system. Does your workplace want to engage in community-driven projects? We are always open to partnering with workplace teams to facilitate larger projects with assistance!
Design Review meeting at Quinn Evans
Conceptual design for The Hive Campus
mOb studio is in session for Fall 2023!
Keep an eye out on the @middleofbroadstudio instagram for updates throughout the semester.
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 and register for City Builders Design Workshop. Interested in getting involved as a mentor? Apply Today!
SPRING semester/ summer opportunities
What if we included youth in the design and development of our cities? Engaging youth participants in the City Builders program and involving various stakeholders like city leaders, community members, professors, and designers demonstrates a collaborative and inclusive approach to community development. In these past six months, the City Builders program has done more than engage over 25 youth participants in community design; it has created an opportunity for the community’s future to be shaped by all of its members. In Richmond, youth aren't just the future; they're active contributors to building a better city.
Spring Semester: Youth-led Design
During the spring semester participants worked with design mentors to envision a new Richmond City Center. Their ideas included multi-use housing, a dog park, a gym, a historical site, a playground, and a transportation hub. They presented these ideas to both the community and the design team behind the City Center project, showcasing the power of youth voices in shaping urban landscapes.
Summer Opportunities: Exploring Design
City Builder alumni had an exciting summer. Some attended Inside Design & Architecture a week long summer camp at Virginia Tech, learning from college graduates, professors, and architects. Others visited Fultz and Singh, an architecture firm, to see design in action and gain valuable insight into the life of a designer. Others attended a drawing session and art activation, hosted by _the.third._ focused on combining meditative practices and art. Thank you to all of our summer partners for investing in our youth and providing opportunities for exploration in design this summer.
Virginia Tech Inside Design & Architecture alum, youth, and Baskervill staff
Press and resources
Check out our interview about our youth design education program with MentorVA, consulting partner
VA NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) is hosting a Happy Hour mixer September 15th
Last Chance to see ‘Modeling a Vision: Design Technology, and Impact’ at The Branch, on view through Sep 10th.
Association for Community Design announces annual conference Oct 20-21 Chicago
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 more about Community Visioning.
JACKSON WARD COMMUNITY PLAN UPDATES
Our team has been collaborating with the Jackson Ward Community Plan project team to host visioning events in 2023, meeting with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) representatives to provide updates on the process, and working together with Gilpin Informed Residents to develop creative communications.
Celebrate the completion of the Jackson Ward Community Plan and all the accomplishments achieved during the last 18 months!
Check out the Jackson Ward Community Plan webpage to learn more about upcoming meetings and to review past meeting materials.