Community Design Center News...................................................July 2021
Final 2021 Lecture with June Grant, RA, NOMA
The 2021 Lecture Series themed "Building a Just Community" has officially concluded.

Thank you to all who attended our final lecture with June Grant last week! She was a true wealth of knowledge on the topic of community engagement and regeneration, and we at the Design Center know we'll be re-watching the recording, utilizing her advice, and staying in touch for years to come.

We hosted a follow-up Community Conversation to further unpack June Grant's lecture and connect it to the local context, featuring Suzanne Mayer (Co-founder & President of Hinge Neighbors).

Click the images above to watch recordings of the lecture (left) and follow-up Community Conversation (right).

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Awards Nominations Open July 9!
Submit nominations for our 11th Annual Reshaping Rochester Awards July 9 through September 10! The awards given will recognize exemplary projects and individuals in the Greater Rochester area that make a positive impact on people, neighborhoods, and communities. Awardees will be announced at the 11th Annual Awards Luncheon in November.


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Building the Equitable City: A Resource Guide
Curated by the CDCR & Rochester Community
We compiled a variety of resources to assist our thinking about issues of race, equity, and the ongoing construction of a city of fairness and justice. Since this is an ever-evolving and multi-faceted area of work, we have opted to make it a living and communal document; that means we graciously welcome comments and additions to what we have curated thus far and will continue to make our own updates, too.
This month, we suggest that you check out The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, a historical nonfiction book by Richard Rothstein. There's an accompanying short film, which is embedded above.
Local & Notable:
Patrons outside Mercantile on Main, Image Credit: Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat & Chronicle
New businesses, housing in the works for Rochester area

"There has been little letup in the remaking of downtown Rochester, as construction continued despite the pandemic. But while Center City is where change and development is most visible -- from Midtown to the former eastern Inner Loop -- construction also has rolled on in surrounding neighborhoods and towns."


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Image Credit: Savannah Lauren
Ripple Art Installation

This spring, a permanent, public art installation entitled "Ripple" was unveiled near The Strong Museum. "It was designed with the community through a series of participatory design workshops to serve as an ever-changing landmark that responds to the people, the landscape, and the interactions between them." The project was created by The Urban Conga, a local multidisciplinary design studio promoting community activity and social interaction through open-ended play.

Check this out:
Image Credit: Historic Pittsburgh, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center; Buccini/Pollin Group
A Black Vision for Development, in the
Birthplace of Urban Renewal

"Some 65 years ago in Pittsburgh's Lower Hill District, 1,300 buildings were razed, displacing thousands of Black, Jewish, Italian, and Eastern European families under a 'slum clearance' mandate. It was the first federal program in the U.S. to engage in urban renewal, the now-notorious term for demolishing neighborhoods that officials considered blighted. Now, a new $230 million project approved this month by local government authorities to redevelop the neighborhood puts Black people in the driver's seat of the Hill District's remaking."

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Image Credit: Jörg Hempel
Is This the World's Most Aging-friendly City?

Arnsberg, Germany's Department of Future Aging has made it a prototype for how cities around the world can help their older residents thrive. "The product of a decades-long project to build an aging-friendly destination, their leafy, quaint west German town of Arnsberg might be one of the most successful examples of senior-friendly urban development in the world. At its core? A city department like no other: the Fachstelle Zukunft Alter -- the Department of Future Aging."
See what our friends are doing:

On June 11, AIA Rochester hosted their Virtual Design Awards, which recognized design excellence in our region. View the recording below to see who won:
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Saturday, Ju1. 10 | 10:00am-12:30pm | Maplewood Park (14613)

The Land Trust's River Alliance and partner Greentopia invite you to join them for a Mile-A-Month walk! On this 1.3-mile tour, attendees will learn about Rochester's historic industrial development and eco district and see amazing views of Rochester's High Halls from two bridges. Family-friendly (strollers included), pet-friendly, and accessible to all ages and abilities. Light refreshments provided.

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Tuesday, Jul. 20 | 6:15pm-8:15pm | Magee Ave & Lake Ave (14613)

Love old buildings but don't know a Queen Anne from a Dutch Colonial? Announcing another Rochester Brainery walking tour, led by the Landmark Society's Young Urban Preservationists. During this two-hour tour, students will explore the streets of the Maplewood neighborhood, examining the magnificent architecture of the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Seneca Parkway. While traversing one of Rochester's most impressive streets, attendees will learn the names of important architectural styles, basic architectural terminology, and how to approximately date the buildings we see every day.

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Through Friday, Jul. 30

It's that time again! Reconnect Rochester needs your help identifying the intersections and trouble spots in Monroe County that could be redesigned to make them safer for everyone. Be sure to submit by July 30th for your location to be considered.