Drawings of conceptual designs from past rStore projects.

The Collaborative is working with six community development corporations this year to promote storeowner investment in building façade improvements through its new rStore program.

“Façade improvements like new awnings, lighting, security grills or windows may seem like small projects, but they can have a significant influence,” says Emily Stromberg, Community Design Collaborative Project Associate who is managing the rStore program.

rStore is a special type of service grant that provides design consultations targeted directly to storeowners on neighborhood commercial corridors. The Collaborative has partnered with the City of Philadelphia Commerce Department on rStore to help invigorate commercial districts and increase the accessibility of quality design.

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In the most recent real estate boom many former industrial buildings were converted to loft housing or demolished to make way for big box retail projects, but our shifting economy and the current administration’s focus on green industry is encouraging the reuse of our industrial landmarks for new manufacturing opportunities.  The Community Design Collaborative will partner with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation on the next phase of Infill Philadelphia, an initiative created by the Collaborative to promote workable solutions for revitalizing urban neighborhoods through innovative design.

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Two kids fasten bottles on the Repurpose! installation, with the help of Beth Miller, Community Design Collaborative executive director. Photo courtesy of Matthew Cianfrani/Slought Foundation.

Repurpose!, a one-day community workshop and public art project to develop creative uses for vacant land, brought together a diverse group of nonprofits, architects and Mantua residents on Saturday, August 22 to build a temporary canopy out of orange clothesline and recycled water bottles.

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Forget the dog days of summer with a celebration of edible education, architects in conversation, a sustainability tour, and a one-day community workshop exploring the creative opportunities of urban revitalization.

The Into the Open exhibition highlights architects who are working collaboratively to invigorate community activism and environmental policy. The National Constitution Center, in partnership with Slought Foundation, invites you to take part in a series of public programs during August. These engaging, thought-provoking activities will take place at the National Constitution Center and non-traditional urban settings, with public programming partner the Community Design Collaborative

Angelo's internship with the Collaborative is part of MetEast's Big Picture Learning curriculum. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press.

Our interns are always wonderful, but it’s rare for one to get national coverage!  Angelo Drummond, a 17-year-old junior at MetEast High School in Camden, N.J. and a current Community Design Collaborative intern, was featured in an Associated Press story on Saturday, June 27: No dropouts from this Camden, NJ, high school that has been picked up locally and by newspapers and websites in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Miami, San Franscisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle.  Read Full Story

Julia Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, the view from 16th and Spring Garden Streets.

Julia. R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School is the kind of school I wish I’d gone to. Granted, I grew up in rural southern Oregon so it wasn’t an option, but Masterman’s diverse student body from every corner of Philadelphia, committed teachers, and strong community where it’s okay to be a nerd make me swoon in retrospect. Read Full Story