Building Equitable Cities Through Inclusive Design
www.vanalen.org
Design Challenge // How might we re-imagine the way we work to build equitable cities through inclusive design?
Client // Van Alen Institute
Project // Design sprints, service design & coaching for a NYC-based nonprofit.
Role // Design Lead, coaching & facilitation
Impact // The Van Alen Institute began its institutional evolution when it hired a new Executive Director with a mandate to make the 126-year old organization relevant to the 21st century.
Although the internal transformation had already begun, 2020 accelerated the organization’s transformation. Between a global pandemic, hard conversations about race, inequity and climate change, the organization redefined its mission and purpose to focus on using its privilege to create equitable cities through inclusive design.
I was hired to co-design, facilitate and coach the team through a series of strategy sessions and remote design sprints that would help the organization clearly define its strategy and re-imagine programming in service of this new mission.
Characterized by time-bound activities with guided facilitation and rapid, iterative learning and feedback cycles - these strategy sessions and sprints have allowed the organization to quickly prototype and test new ideas and risky assumptions before bringing viable solutions to life.
The result has also accelerated the organization’s cultural shift from traditional nonprofit to social impact design studio. By strengthening in-house design capabilities, this process has been transformational to helping the team unlock creativity, act with intention and agility, collaborate more effectively, cultivate a learning and growth mindset, and embrace a design ethos that centers the voices and lived experiences of communities served - while moving at the speed of trust.
Duration of Engagement // Spring 2021 - Spring 2024
Acknowledgements //
Design Team: Richard Kelly, Deborah Alden, Stephanie Gamble, Catherine Weislogel, Owen Sanderson
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“The design sprints have been transformational to the way we work together as an organization.” - Carla Swickerath, Board Chair
“You are an exceptionally skilled facilitator. I have been so grateful for your work with us.” - Deborah Marton, Executive Director
