Let’s Build Together: A Capacity Building Framework for Equitable Placemaking

Jennifer Goold (The Neighborhood Design Center)

Since 1968, the Neighborhood Design Center has supported disinvested neighborhoods in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, MD by providing them with pro bono design and planning services. Our core program, Community Design Works (CDW), facilitates community partners and volunteer architects, designer, planners, and other professionals through a co-design process and NDC staff and volunteers provide conceptual architecture, landscape, or urban plans.

As we worked with partners in the context of CDW, we observed recurring needs in low and extremely-low income communities that NDC’s services were not meeting. In response, NDC has created Place Matters. Services are intended to develop individual resources in five key areas: skills, community engagement, increased network, sustainable funding, and power.

Skills - By working collaboratively with partners, we support a process of “learning by doing.” Partners develop key tools for autonomously supporting their work, including grant writing, project management, and planning.

Community Engagement - We support recruiting volunteers, gathering community input and vision for a site, and recruiting future leaders for the partnership’s longevity.

Increased Network - We connect community leaders to other relevant organizations, governmental, nonprofits, private etc. to help ensure the success of the place after NDC’s involvement is no longer needed.

Sustainable Funding - We seek continued funding for the long term such as assurance of maintenance and programming for a site, or a sustained relationship with a funding organization.

Power - We support the goal of maximum autonomy. This may take the form of a 501 (c)3, fiscal sponsorship, or partnership with a CDC.

Through this work, we have found that Place Matters is for Placekeeping, for partners working across a network of projects, and for design-build. Our program succeeds when it's used to support an existing, strong local culture: real relationships, rich cultural assets, and visionary community leaders.