Greetings, ACD Members and Friends!
It may seem that ACD has been dormant for a long time; some of you have even asked if we’re still open for business. Rest assured, the Association for Community Design is still alive and well. Although you haven’t heard from us in quite a while, we’ve been actively recharging our organization with new ideas, new people and new partnerships with organizations and individuals who share our commitment to inclusive, community-based practice. But we’ve been remiss in not sharing those activities with you, and we apologize for being less visible this past year than you’re used to. It’s time to share much more with you about what we’ve been up to – and to invite you to share your activities and energy with us as we all prepare for the year ahead.
I’m still surprised that 2010 has gone so fast. 2011 is already here; and if this fall’s election results are any indicator, we’ve got an interesting year ahead. As we adjust to a host of new elected officials at the state and federal level, we want to make sure that we provide you with a strong national organization advocating and supporting community based design practice and values. In fact, this is exactly the core of ACD’s mission:
The mission of the Association for Community Design (the association) is three-fold:
to serve practitioners, educators, individuals and organizations engaged in community-based design and planning by serving as the primary clearinghouse for information exchange; to advance research, education, and best practices in community design; and to provide a national voice to promote education in the values of community design.
The objective is to increase equity and justice for those with a limited voice in public
life; promote social equality through discourse that reflects a range of values and social identities; engage communities and stakeholders in participatory decision-making; advance the right of every person to live in a socially, economically, and environmentally health community; create strategies that integrate design of the built environment with other approaches; generate ideas that are place-based solutions and which build local capacity; and promote the highest standards of quality in the design and construction of the built environment.
Having affirmed our commitment to this mission, we are both focusing and strengthening the activities through which we put our mission into practice. In the coming months, you’ll be hearing more news from us about new initiatives such as:
• a revised membership structure that recognizes your role as sustaining partners
of ACD;
• our revamped website, with an emphasis on relationship building among
members and a strong information resource area;
• new events to promote ACD networking at the local and regional level; and
• improved and timely news and communications that highlight the excellent work
of our members.
In both our new and our ongoing activities, we cannot make ACD a vibrant and effective
resource organization without your involvement. Whether you are volunteering on one of our committees; working with us to generate and share news and wise practices among network members; building new partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations; or providing us with feedback to improve our service offerings, your involvement is critical to our success. Please let us know how we can make ACD membership and participation more valuable to you, and how we can engage you in the ways that matter most to your own mission and practice.
We look forward to hearing from you and working with you in the coming months!
Best wishes,
Brandy H. M. Brooks
President, 2010-11 ACD Board of Directors
