2016 PDII Request for Proposals

Learn more about the Public Design Impact Initiative.

Announcing the launch of the 2016 Public Design Impact Initiative Request for Proposals.

You can now submit your Project Proposals for [bc]'s PDII program! 

Are you a nonprofit or community group in need of design? Would architecture, planning, landscape architecture, or design expertise help you with a project you've had in mind but not the resources to move forward? Read through the Request for Proposals: English | Español and submit your project idea!

In 2016, as a part of a collaborative effort to extend equity in design to rural colonia areas in the Rio Grande Valley, we will pick two projects to match with local design professionals. 

**The deadline for submitting a proposal has passed. Please contact Elaine Morales (RGV) at 956.443.2211 and elaine@bcworkshop.org; or Elizabeth Jones (Dallas) at 214.252.2900 and elizabeth@bcworkshop.org with any questions.**

Eligibility
All RGV-based community and nonprofit groups (including nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations, school PTA groups, etc.) are invited to submit Project Proposals. Applicants must be made up of a group of three or more individuals and should be both located within the RGV area. Proposed projects must also be located in the RGV and address issues related to colonias.

Proposals are welcome from all not-for-profit groups, from large and established nonprofit organizations to small/less formal community groups, regardless of the scale or scope of work.

Questions & comments related to the Public Design Impact Initiative should be directed to Elaine Morales, at elaine@bcworkshop.org or 956.443.2211

Submitting a Project Proposal
The deadline to submit a completed Project Proposal is June 1st, 2016. The Project Proposal Form may be submitted through mail, email, or using the online form. Click here to download an editable, printer friendly version of the Project Proposal Form.

To submit via online form: 
Review the Request for Proposals document, then click this link to submit your Project Proposal - bcworkshop.typeform.com/to/De5vby 

To submit via email: 
Send your completed Project Proposal form to elaine@bcworkshop.org. Include “PDII Project Proposal” in the subject line.

To submit a project proposal via mail:
Send a hardcopy of your Project Proposal form to the address below. You will be notified when your submission has been received using the email address provided in your Project Proposal. Mailed copies must be received by Wednesday, June 1st, 2016.    

Attn: Public Design Impact Initiative
bcWORKSHOP
609 E. 11th St.
Brownsville, TX 78520

Elegibilidad
Todos los groups comunitarios o sin fines de lucro en RGV (incluyendo orgnizaciones sin fines de lucro, asociaciones de vecindario, grupos PTA de escuelas, etc) son invitados a someter una Propuesta de Proyecto. Los solicitantes deben estar organizados en grupos de 3 o más indiviuos y deben estar localizados en el RGV. Los Proyectos Propuestos deben estar localizados en el RGV y atender problemas o asuntos relacionads a Colonias.

Propuestas de todos grupos y organizaciones comunitarias son bienvenidas, así sean grandes sin fines de lucro o pequeñas y menos formales, independiente de su tamaño o la escala de su trabajo.

Preguntas y comentarios relacionados al programa de Public Design Impact Initiative deben ser dirigidas a Elaine Morales, al elaine@bcworkshop.org o 956.443.2211

Someter una propuesta de proyecto
El plazo para someter una propuesta completa es el 1 de junio de 2016. El formulario de la Propuesta de Proyecto (ultima pagina de este documento) puede someterse a traves de correo, email, o usando el formulario online. Puede encontrar una version editable, y impresible del Formulario de Propuestas de Proyecto.

Para someter a traves del formulario online: 
Use este enlace - bcworkshop.typeform.com/to/humNC9

Para someter a traves de email: 
Envíe su Propuesta de Proyecto completada en formato PDF a elaine@bcworkshop.org. Escriba “PDII Project Proposal” en el título del email. 

Para someter una propuesta de proyecto por correo: 
Envíe una copia impresa de su Propuesta de Proyecto a la siguiente direccion. Se le notificará cuando su propuesta sea recibida utilizando la dirección email que provea en la primera parte de su propuesta. Las propuestas deben ser recibidas en o antes del miércoles, 1 de junio de 2016.    

Attn: Public Design Impact Initiative
bcWORKSHOP
609 E. 11th St.
Brownsville, TX 78520

Cooper Hewitt to Present "By The People: Designing a Better America."

Learn more about RAPIDO.

RAPIDO will be one of the exhibits presented in the "By the People: Designing a Better America" at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum this fall.

[bc]’s Rapid Disaster Recovery Housing Program, RAPIDO, redesigns the existing disaster recovery system. Relying on a local approach to outreach, case management, procurement, and housing design, construction, and delivery; RAPIDO returns residents to their neighborhoods and onto their land within weeks of a disaster instead of years. Its temp-to-perm housing design responds to the social, cultural, economic and environmental context of the place the system is deployed. RAPIDO partners include Community Development Corporation of Brownsville, buildingcommunityWORKSHOP, La Unión del Pueblo Entero, A Resource in Service Equity, and Texas Low Income Information Services.

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ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum will present “By the People: Designing a Better America,” the third exhibition in its series on socially responsible design, from Sept. 30 through Feb. 26, 2017. The first exhibition in the series to focus on conditions in the U.S. and its bordering countries, “By the People” will explore the challenges faced by urban, suburban and rural communities. Organized by Cynthia E. Smith, Cooper Hewitt’s curator of socially responsible design, the exhibition features 60 design projects from every region across the U.S.

Smith conducted more than two years of field research—traveling to shrinking post-industrial cities, sprawling metro regions, struggling rural towns, along border regions, areas impacted by natural and man-made disaster and places of persistent poverty—in search of collaborative designs for more equitable, inclusive and sustainable communities. The exhibition will highlight design solutions that expand access to education, food, healthcare and affordable housing; increase social and economic inclusion; offer improved alternative transportation options; and provide a balanced approach to land use between the built and natural environment.

“As America’s design museum, Cooper Hewitt empowers visitors to see themselves as designers—not just of objects, but also of ideas, strategies and solutions that improve our daily lives,” said Director Caroline Baumann. “‘By the People’ will showcase the innovative and impactful actions generated through design, and inspire creative  problem-solving at local, regional, national and even international levels.”

On view in the third floor Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery, the exhibition will be divided into six themes: act, save, share, live, learn and make. To orient the visitor, the complexities of poverty, prosperity, innovation and design in the U.S. will be addressed in an introductory section that will feature a captivating video by Cassim Shepard, an interactive data visualization, “Mapping the Measure of America” and graphics that chart social and economic inequalities.

The exhibition will continue in the museum’s groundbreaking Process Lab, which offers immersive experiences for visitors of diverse ages and abilities, from families with small children to design students and professionals. Cooper Hewitt will invite visitors to address challenges in their own communities using design thinking and propose solutions.

The accompanying 256-page book, By the People: Designing a Better America, will be published by Cooper Hewitt and distributed in the U.S. by Artbook | D.A.P. and worldwide by Thames & Hudson. Designed by Other Means, By the People will contain essays and interviews with featured designers and architects, in addition to highly illustrated project profiles. Retail: $29.95.

In fall 2016 and winter 2017, a series of public programs will inspire conversation about innovative and systemic approaches being developed through design. Planned events include a lecture focused on affordable housing and design (Oct. 13), Designing Resilience (Nov. 10) and Defiant Jewelry with Rebel Nell founder Amy Peterson and a participating artisan (Jan. 26).

“By the People: Designing a Better America” is made possible by the generous support of the Ford Foundation. Additional support provided by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. [read more about the upcoming exhibit here]

To see "By the People" visit the Cooper Hewitt from Sept. 30 through Feb. 26, 2017 at:

2 East 91st Street 
(between 5th and Madison Avenues)
New York, New York 10128

Weekdays and Sundays, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

PDII Project Wins Texas ASLA Award

Learn more about the Public Design Impact Initiative!

The Forest Hills Neighborhood Association Urban Forest Plan was awarded a 2016 Merit Award for Communications by the American Society of Landscape Architects Texas Chapter! The Merit Award for Communications "recognizes achievements in communicating landscape architecture information, technology, theory, or practice to those within or outside the profession."

Design partners for this project were Gwendolyn McGinn & Isaac Cohen.
Nonprofit partners for this project were the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association.

The following project description was written by the Design Partners for this project - Gwendolyn McGinn & Isaac Cohen:

"The Forest Hills neighborhood is distinct from others in Dallas because of it’s dense tree canopy. But the urban forest is in decline as the trees that form it’s canopy are nearing the end of their lives; many of the oaks, cedar elms, and pecans that form the canopy were established even before the neighborhood was platted. In 2015 as a part of a Public Design Impact Initiative, the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association (FHNA) collaborated with [bc] to create a plan for their urban forest.

The medians in the central boulevards of the neighborhood total almost 7 acres, and were selected as a discrete project to begin the process. The FHNA anticipates that the reforestation of the medians and the active involvement of the community in the design process will create a sense of shared responsibility towards the neighborhood’s urban forest and will encourage further planting of trees on private properties, along parkways and in yards.

Through the Public Design Impact Initiative program, [bc] partnered FHNA with landscape designers to develop a language for the urban forest. A central element of this collaboration was creating the definition of what 'urban forest' meant to the neighborhood. By clearly defining spatial and functional characteristics of the forest, all design decisions would relate back to this statement. The process of defining the urban forest of Forest Hills consisted of collecting comments from residents on existing and desired conditions, site analysis by the landscape designers and residents, and the development of a system to express existing and proposed spatial qualities of the median forests.

The Forest Hills Neighborhood Urban Forest

Ecologically, functionally, and in character the Urban Forest will reinforce the identity of Forest Hills by creating a visually appealing and ecologically valuable public realm within the boulevard medians of the neighborhood. The process of creating the urban forest plan and implementing it will build community and strengthen connections to neighboring amenities including: White Rock Lake, White Rock Creek, and the Dallas Arboretum.

Instead of creating a traditional master plan, the Urban Forest Plan describes desired spatial qualities of the medians and provides a strategy that will assist in the implementation of the forest over time as conditions within the medians change. This focus on forest qualities was the result of a series of variables that had to be accommodated in the master plan. The FHNA had to be able to implement the plan over the course of three years, and since the City of Dallas provides trees for planting, the available and approved species at the time of planting can not be predicted. To adapt to these conditions, a new way of discussing and planning with trees had to be created. Formal and spatial characteristics of trees and forests were utilized to create a vocabulary that neighbors could use to make choices and create plans without an attachment to specific tree species. The communication of these characteristics and their use in the creation of the urban forest plan allows for a wide degree of variation in implementation to fit spatial, budgetary, and ecological needs.

A community-engaged process for the creation of an urban forest plan is foremost about communication between a design team and neighborhood residents. The main question, how in a community-engaged design approach, do you provide the tools and information needed for a neighborhood to plan their physical environment? The creation of these tools and the communication of their use has been a key reason for the success of this urban forest master planning process. 

A process of core community team meetings and large neighborhood meetings allowed for a continual dialogue during the development of the urban forest definition and the Urban Forest Plan. These meeting enabled neighbors to learn about and apply complex spatial issues; tree form, forest types, spatial sequences, and rhythms. All project participants were encouraged to communicate their design intentions throughout the design process—one key example of this is that neighbors were able to complete notational sequences, diagramming their desired changes to the boulevard medians, through tree form and characters. 

Additionally, this process allowed for consistent communication between the design team, core community team, neighborhood association, and the neighborhood to answer questions of the how, what, where, why, and when so that all could participate. Questions of maintenance, the timing of new work, cost, irrigation, ecological responsibility and species diversity were all considered, as well as the ability to guide questions outside the scope of the project in an appropriate manner.  

The resulting document communicates a strategy that can be utilized by community members and expanded upon by design professionals as implementation occurs. It can be used to plant trees, create spin off projects, advocate for City work, and grow support for a variety of neighborhood projects. It communicates the value of landscape architecture and design through imparting valuable knowledge in a clear and concise manner, creating the ability for this knowledge and thought process to be expanded beyond this one project."

Kickoff! Activating Vacancy Arts Incubator

Learn more about Activating Vacancy.

[bc] is excited to announce a kickoff for the Activating Vacancy Arts Incubator (AVAI), a new art and public interest design initiative in Market Square, the center of Historic Downtown Brownsville. This program will create a viable means for artists to thrive in a region where attaining basic needs can be a struggle. The incubator will provide a catalytic hub for Downtown Brownsville and the arts, creating a platform for artistic production and collaboration between artists and the community. AVAI begins Spring 2016 and is produced and curated by [bc] in partnership with the City of Brownsville.

Come hear about the new Activating Vacancy Arts Incubator and other exciting new initiatives happening in Downtown Brownsville. Share your downtown stories and help us envision the future of arts and culture in Downtown! We'll start off with a social hour, including some creative activities and refreshments, followed by a panel discussion with local artistic and cultural leaders. 

where: 609 E 11th Street

when: friday, april 8th, 5pm social hour , 6pm panel discussion. 

Smart Growth for Dallas

See more posts about POP and our work in Dallas. 

Smart Growth for Dallas is a partnership between The Trust for Public Land, [bc], and the Texas Trees Foundation to help the City of Dallas make data-driven and strategic decisions about its future investments in parks, open space, and green infrastructure. The program’s primary feature will be a decision support tool, built for the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department and available to all departments within the City of Dallas, to help grow the local economy, connect communities, improve public health, and protect Dallas’s most important natural places through investment in parks and green infrastructure.

[bc] will lead the programs community engagement and storytelling efforts providing opportunities for neighborhoods across Dallas to influence how the process develops. These two efforts are vital to the success of the project and will create the propelling voice and political will that can turn strategic decision into action. This work is a continuation of our 2014 Race and the Control of Public Parks (available on the People's Design Library website) that sought to understand the relationship between segregation and the public park system in Dallas.

To help us get started, please complete a brief survey to tell us what values and challenges parks bring to your neighborhood and to Dallas. This will help us better design our engagement activities across the city.
https://bcworkshop.typeform.com/to/ZWtoCV

What others are saying:

• “When you frame it with all the benefits — ecological, economic, social — this is perhaps one of the most important initiatives we will undertake. We’ve got master plans for everything, and in my mind this is the last and most critical component — preserving land for future generations."  Willis Winter, Director Dallas Parks and Recreation Department in the Dallas Morning News

Urban Garden Profiles

Learn more about our Storytelling work here!

We're excited to share these two profiles of Urban Gardens in the Dallas area. The top video profiles Paul Quinn College's We Over Me Farm, and the second video profiles the Texas Worm Ranch. The videos were produced with the folks from Citizen D.

Announcing The People's Design Library!

buildingcommunityWORKSHOP ([bc]) is pleased to announce the launch of the People’s Design Library (www.peoplesdesignlibrary.com), a digital library for anyone looking for help in improving their community. Three collections - guides, inspirations, and [bc] publications - provide practical advice and examples of the wide range of resources out there for citizens doing community work. [bc] believes that it is the right of the People to shape their city and wants to equip citizens with the tools to exercise that right and have some fun doing it!

“There are countless design, policy, and organizing guides created by different organizations to help citizens navigate how to make lasting change in their neighborhoods. We created The People’s Design Library to bring these resources together in one place, something that hasn’t been done before,” says Lizzie MacWillie, Senior Design Manager. “If you know of, or have created, a great guide, you can submit a resource to the library! The more people contribute to the library, the better it will be.” Topics covered by the guides posted so far include how to conduct effective community outreach, how to convert underused street parking spaces to a public amenity, and how to map existing neighborhood conditions using balloons and kites. New resources will be posted every two weeks.

The People’s Design Library is the latest project of People Organizing Place (POP), the participatory city shaping initiative of [bc]. POP puts local stakeholders in collaboration with outside expertise to proactively shape their neighborhood’s future. Through POP, [bc] provides accessible tools, expertise and resources like The People’s Design Library to citizens.

Bonton + Ideal Trailer

Visit the Bonton + Ideal website.

We're excited to share the trailer for our newest Neighborhood Stories film Bonton + Ideal! The film premiered on December 24th, 2015 on KERA's Frame of Mind program. Since the premiere, the film has been accepted to the Big Muddy Film Festival in Carbondale, Illinois, and the Interurban Film Festival in Denison, Texas. Watch the film's official website for more details about local screenings as they become available. Later this spring, the film will be published online for free - be sure to keep your eyes open!

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What people are saying:

• The Dallas Morning News calls Bonton + Ideal, "a must-watch for anyone who cares about the history of Dallas and how it developed as two cities: one for whites, another for blacks."
• Check out Art & Seek's Q&A with director Craig Weflen on Bonton + Ideal, Neighborhood Stories, and storytelling.

Data Social Hour 3

Learn more about bcANALYTICS!

Join [bc] and other members of Dallas’ data ecosystem on Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 for the 3rd Data Social Hour. This month, we’re looking for 4-5 of our data-inspired peers to give short, 5-minute presentations on a data-related subject of their choosing.

Are you stuck on a project because you can’t find the right data? Do you have a favorite dataset that gets overlooked by others in your field? Do you want to share your love of data visualization with others?

If you answered yes and would liked to share your work with others, fill out this form and tell us what you would like to talk about by January 14th. We’ll let you know if you’re chosen by January 15th and announce our speakers that same day.

Please RSVP if you’re interested in attending. Appetizers and drinks will be provided.

Upcoming Data Social Hours:
Data Social Hour #4: February 17th, 2016
Data Social Hour #5: March 23rd, 2016
Data Social Hour #6: April 20th, 2016

Data Social Hour 2

Learn more about bcANALYTICS.

Join us on Wednesday, December 9th from 6:30-7:30pm for a discussion of neighborhood-level data in Dallas with members of the local data community. Meet others interested in using data to improve their communities and learn more about [bc]'s work defining and embracing the city's many unique neighborhoods.

Appetizers and drinks will be provided.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP!

Data Social Hour

Learn more about bcANALYTICS.

Join us Thursday, November 12th from 6:30-7:30pm for a meet and greet with members of the local data community. Meet others interested in leveraging data to make meaningful changes in our communities and neighborhoods! 

Appetizers and drinks will be provided.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Geography of Food Security

Learn more about bcANALYTICS

[Note: The data and report presented here are for informational purposes only. This report does not represent the current strategy and operations of CCS.]

Crossroads Community Services (CCS) works to ensure that all people in Dallas County have ready access to nourishing foods and to provide life-skills education to help reduce obesity in impoverished areas. To help serve those in need, CCS participated in the 2013 - 2014 class of the Data Driven Decision-Making (D3) Institute hosted by the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT). The D3 Institute works to give organizations the skills and tools necessary to incorporate data into their work serving low-income working families.

Following their participation in the D3 Institute, D3 participants were eligible to submit letters of interest to receive an analytics package from bcANALYTICS sponsored by CFT. In their LOI, CCS sought to identify small areas of Dallas County most at risk of food insecurity for possible expansion of their network of Community Distribution Partners (CDPs). bcANALYTICS staff worked with CCS to refine the research needs into a data driven, actionable research question and a work plan to answer the question in three months.

The three month project was split between four main phases – Connect, Discover, Analyze, and Deliver -- in order to perform a literature review, data collection, analysis, and compilation of a final report sharing contextual information and recommendations for CCS’s expansion strategy. This project required a considerable amount of background research on food deserts, food insecurity, and CCS’ client base in order to understand the myriad issues relating to the food landscape in Dallas County.

Ultimately, the report produced estimates of food insecurity at the Census Tract level and used geospatial techniques to identify areas underserved by grocery stores and food pantries. The intersection of food insecurity and food deserts was the starting point in identifying specific neighborhoods in Dallas County where CCS could focus on expanding the CDP network. Five neighborhoods were selected and explored at a more fine-grained level: the Los Encinos and Westhaven neighborhoods in far west Dallas; and parts of Pleasant Grove, Pleasant Mound, and Pemberton Hills in southeast Dallas.

Selected findings from the report:

• 34% of food distributed by CCS to CDP sites flows to southeastern Dallas County. 
• Children under 19 make up 31% of the overall population in Dallas County, but this same age group makes up 46% of CCS clients between 2012 and 2014. 
• Roughly ¼ of the food insecure population in Dallas County, 133,00 people, live in areas of concentrated food insecurity (Census Tracts with food insecurity rates greater than or equal to 20%).
• Much of Dallas County’s food insecure population live in areas that have low accessibility to grocery stores and food pantries.