Lillian Jones - Prompt 2

How do you build a practice that engages community?

One of the first and crucial steps for cities to start engaging the community in design is actually having a design center like the one here in Charleston. Not all cities have them, but they can be excellent facilitators in getting the community involved in the design process of different projects around a city. Within these centers, there are several models that can be followed in ensure proper community engagement. For example, the charrette is a great way to include public opinion as well as involving all stakeholders and other designers in the process.  Because it happens in a compressed time-frame with everyone in one place, a lot of progress and collaboration happens with this particular model. There's also the rational model or modernist model where the designer presents an already developed idea to the public for opinion.  This can be a tricky balancing act because the public can sometimes feel like they do not have a say in the process. The key to engaging the community is to be open to it and have people on your team that are open to engagement as well. Sometimes designers can be afraid of going to the community because they don't want their ideas shut down or they don't want to cause any controversy. If this is the mindset of a practice, no collaboration with the community will happen. 

How will YOU build a practice that creates a positive impact?

I think that as designers, we are optimistic in nature. We want whatever we design to have a positive impact on the community.  Working with the city allows you to make connections and relationships with the people who will ultimately be approving the designs. So, city design centers can easily facilitate the work between the architect/developer/etc and city officials. The role that city design centers play in the grand scheme of things becomes essential in creating a real positive impact to the citizens on a daily basis. For all of this to work, passion needs to be a large factor in the process. I think that as long as the design team is passionate about what they are working on, this passion will be very evident in their designs and ultimately the community.