Key Insights

• •

  Community-centered design requires shifting decision-making power from traditional policymakers to residents and frontline staff.

• •

  Emotional capacity and vulnerability within design teams are critical to authentic community engagement.

• •

  Government bureaucracy and unrealistic timelines often inhibit true community-centered processes.

• •

  Trauma-informed design practices help teams navigate discomfort inherent in community-centered work.

• •

  Embedding city staff within project teams balances perspectives and facilitates collaboration.

• •

  Transparency in communication is a key ally in building trust with communities.

• •

  Sustained relationships and iterative engagement improve equity in community participation.

• •

  Initiatives like Montgomery County’s Design by People reverse traditional innovation hierarchies by involving residents as innovation architects.

• •

  Community members, unlike government staff, show up with full and complex needs that require holistic responses.

• •

  Creating safe spaces for government colleagues to express candidly requires time, relationship-building, and emotional support.

Notable Quotes