The Center for Community Design Research (CCDR) is an outreach program within SUNY ESF Department of Landscape Architecture.  Working in partnership with communities, elected officials, agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and other academic programs, the CCDR provides technical assistance, educational programs, and research projects that build community capacity to manage sustainable futures.

The CCDR activities provide educational and research opportunities for community residents, students, faculty, and staff, and promote the design and planning professions through community education, modeling new ways of working, and disseminating research findings.

Mission

• To help communities address difficult environmental and social conditions through community based physical design and planning
• To develop civic capacity to manage sustainable communities
• To increase community access to resources and information
• To identify and investigate critical issues facing communities and offer solutions
• To foster design literacy and develop public appreciation for the value of design and planning

The Center works with state, regional, and national organizations and agencies to develop and deliver Educational Programs and Materials.  Programs introduce local leaders and community residents to the planning and design process to tackle regionally specific issues and opportunities through hands on workshop projects.  Workshops, training manuals and publications present planning and design issues and concepts in a visual, nontechnical manner.  Educational objectives may vary for specific programs; however they generally address design literacy, leadership development, communication strategies and organizational capacity.