Neighborhood Design Center, Inc.

VISION - DESIGN - COMMUNITY
The Neighborhood Design Center engages people to collaboratively design sustainable communities. A collaborative design process brings people together to identify common visions and goals. The NDC helps people express shared goals as preferred neighborhood designs. Interactive workshop tools measure financial and environmental outcomes and feasibilities. Participants gain greater ability to apply urban design guidelines to shape more sustainable growth and change.

Mission

The Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) educates and engages citizens to collaboratively design sustainable communities.

Sustainable Community Design

Sustainable communities include human environments that contain:

• housing choices for diverse families and households that are located close to public and semi-public spaces, commerce, recreation, and civic and cultural activities, which encourages walking, bicycling and social interaction;
• buildings oriented around pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets;
• neighborhoods linked by efficient transportation corridors to facilitate transit as a mobility choice; and
• connections to local history and culture.

Sustainable communities preserve natural environments by:

• building and urban design that integrates nature into urban communities, and
• preserving working landscapes and natural systems within and surrounding metropolitan regions.

People can design and create sustainable communities when they:

• understand community design principles and how to apply them to their community;
• participate in developing the community’s vision and goals for their future, and the design objectives to implement the vision and goals.

Governance and Staff

The NDC is a 501(c)(3) organization governed by a board of directors representing citizens, local governments, businesses including those in real estate, and environmental organizations. The organization is staffed by an Executive Director who is assisted by the volunteer board, project staff hired on an as needed basis, and outside volunteers.