Community-Centered Design: Engagement That Creates Belonging

Event Pass Type	Price	Quantity
In-Person - Student with Valid ID	$175.00 USD	0 1
In-Person - General Public	$350.00 USD	0 1 2 3 4
In-Person - AIA Member (not AIANY)	$350.00 USD	0 1

In alignment with the 2024 AIANY Presidential Theme, Belonging and Beyond, AIA New York is proud to partner with 3×3 for a powerful two-day seminar focused on community-centered design. This immersive program is designed to equip architects and allied professionals with the tools, skills, and frameworks to lead equitable, inclusive, and trust-centered community engagement processes.

Participants will deepen their understanding of social positionality, explore power dynamics, and learn to foster inclusion, belonging, and care in the built environment. Through a series of interactive modules, attendees will shift from traditional engagement to reflexive, co-creative practices that prioritize access, authenticity, and shared decision-making.

Schedule:

Tuesday, November 18
9:00–9:30 AM – Welcome, Breakfast, Course Overview

9:30–10:30 AM – Module 1: What Lenses Do I Bring? [1 LU | HSW]

Positionality & Reflexivity
10:45–12:00 PM – Modules 2 & 3: Who decides and is involved?  [2 LU | HSW]

Power & Equity & Representation
12:00–1:00 PM – Group Reflection, Q&A, and Day 2 Preview

Wednesday, November 19
9:00–9:15 AM – Day 1 Recap, Day 2 Overview, Ice-breaker

9:15–10:15 PM – Module 4: How is trust earned? [2 LU | HSWs]

Authenticity, Transparency, & Accountability
10:15–11:45 AM – Module 5: How do we remove barriers? [2 LU|HSWs]

Access, Belonging & Care
11:45 AM –1:00 PM – Workshop
Final Reflections, Commitments to Practice, and Course Close-Out

Speakers:
Lucas Vaqueiro, Program Strategist, 3×3
Thomas Bond, Engagement and Communications Designer, 3×3

About the Speakers:
Thomas Bond is an Engagement and Communications Designer at 3×3. He is a designer and advocate for social change, holding a Master’s degree in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design. Driven by a belief in the power of radical imagination, Bond envisions more just and liberating worlds, challenging the status quo and reimagining possibilities for human flourishing. Bond believes that all people are designers in their own right, capable of shaping new realities through creativity, collaboration, and collective action. With a deep commitment to community engagement, Bond prioritizes working alongside communities to foster mutual aid, shared knowledge, and empowerment. Through their interdisciplinary work, Bond seeks to cultivate spaces where diverse voices can co-create solutions to complex social challenges. Whether through design, activism, or education, Bond is dedicated to building a future rooted in equity, solidarity, and the belief that together, we can shape more inclusive and sustainable worlds.

Lucas Vaqueiro is a Program Strategist at 3×3. He is a civic designer, researcher, and instructor with over eight years of experience in public innovation, working with cities across the Americas, from New York to São Paulo. He was a founding member and Research Director of the São Paulo City Hall Government Innovation Lab and has collaborated with organizations including the UNDP, Metropolis Network, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Brazilian Government. Vaqueiro holds a BA in International Relations from the University of São Paulo and an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from Parsons School of Design. Aside from 3x3, Vaqueiro is a New City Critic Fellow at Urban Omnibus and the Urban Design Forum and a member of the Metropolitan New York Library Council’s Cross-Reference Coalition.

Please Note:
By registering, you are committing to attend the full two-day program, which includes all five modules from Tuesday, November 18, through Wednesday, November 19. [This program is approved for 7 LU | HSWs total]