3×3 Event: Community-Centered Design 101

Topic: Community Ownership Models

Join 3×3 for a lively gathering around the challenges, myths, and joys of practicing community-centered design.

We’ve created this recurring gathering space for emerging and established practitioners to connect, learn, and support each other in their use of community-centered design. We welcome all professional backgrounds and experience levels — no prior training or knowledge of community-centered design needed!

Takeaways

Learn more about the core values and applications of community-centered design and hold space for discussion, story- and skill-sharing, and networking! You will walk away with:

An understanding of the lineage and evolution of community-centered design in practice;
A set of core mindsets and values that you can apply to your community-centered practice;
Exposure to fellow practitioners to share challenges, resources, and inspiration;
Pathways to deepen and evolve your practice through more advanced training opportunities and other resources.

Format

This online event will be a combination of a CC101 overview and a guest speaker presentation, followed by an open discussion. A custom Zoom link will be sent to your inbox once you are registered and approved.

Guest Speakers

Dana Archer-Rosenthal is a consultant for the nonprofit and public sectors in program design, funding, and impact evaluation. As a consultant and grant maker, she has worked with dozens of environmental, workforce development, and community development organizations, including the leading community development financial institutions, Nonprofit Finance Fund and Inclusiv. She recently authored a paper released by Nonprofit Finance Fund and Justice Capital called “Community Ownership: A Vision for Shared Prosperity” and is the co-author of the forthcoming book Community Development Finance: COVID, George Floyd and the Fight for Equity, 2016-2025 (Friesen Press, 2026).

Priyanka Jain is a founding partner at 3×3, an urban strategy firm, where she leads work focused on urban planning, local economic development, public engagement and governance, placemaking, and cultural programming. With more than 15 years of experience, she has worked with public agencies, developers, and local development corporations to collaborate with communities on neighborhood investments and revitalization initiatives. She is co-chair at the American Institute of Architects—NYC Chapter and part of the Urban Design Forum’s Local Circle. She was also part of the Urban Design Forum’s Shape Our Mayoral Platform and 21 Visions for 2021 working group, focusing on community engagement.

Facilitator

Thomas Bond is an engagement and communications designer at 3×3 and an advocate for social change who believes that all people are designers in their own right. With a deep commitment to community engagement, Thomas prioritizes working alongside communities to foster mutual aid, shared knowledge, and empowerment.

About 3×3

Drawing from over a decade of experience developing methods that center communities in design, policy, and planning decisions, this event is part of a larger learning series for teams to integrate critical reflection and collaboration into their everyday work.

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