Building Equitable Cities Through Inclusive Design
www.vanalen.org
Design Challenge // How might we re-imagine the way we work to build equitable cities?
Client // Van Alen Institute
Project // Co-design, facilitation & coaching for a NYC-based nonprofit.
Role // Design Lead, coaching & facilitation
Outcome // The Van Alen Institute began its institutional evolution with the appointment of a new Executive Director, charged with making the 126-year-old organization relevant to the 21st century.
Although internal change was already underway, the events of 2020 - between a global pandemic and urgent reckonings around race, inequity, and climate - accelerated the transformation. In response, the organization redefined its mission to focus on leveraging its privilege to create more equitable cities through inclusive design.
I was brought on to co-design, facilitate, and coach the team through a series of strategy sessions and remote design sprints to articulate a clear strategic direction and reimagine programming aligned with this new purpose.
Structured as time-bound, participatory engagements - with guided facilitation, rapid iteration, and ongoing feedback - these sprints enabled the team to test new ideas and challenge assumptions before scaling viable solutions.
This approach also catalyzed a deeper cultural shift: from traditional nonprofit to social impact design studio. By building in-house design capacity, the team began to unlock creativity, move with intention and agility, and collaborate more effectively. The process helped cultivate a growth mindset and embed a design ethos that centers the lived experiences of the 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
