A Catalyst for Community Change

Since our establishment in 1968, the mission of the non-profit Neighborhood Design Center has been to improve neighborhood livability, viability and sustainability by providing pro-bono design and planning services in support of community-sponsored initiatives.  We do this by mobilizing volunteer architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers, and other design professionals who donate their professional services to help groups in the initial stages of neighborhood revitalization efforts.  NDC not only takes on projects that serve the public good but also strive to achieve the following community service goals:

Strengthen community participation in neighborhood improvement efforts

Educate the public about the value of good design, planning, and preservation as community revitalization tools

Serve as a catalyst for increased investment in neighborhood development

Throughout the Baltimore and Prince George’s County area, residents, small non-profits, and community development corporations are trying to strengthen their neighborhoods by improving blocks and homes, renovating parks and school grounds, reclaiming abandoned structures for new community uses, and improving neighborhood commercial districts.  Unfortunately, many of these groups do not have the resources or expertise to get such community improvement projects off the ground.  This is where the Neighborhood Design Center fulfills a critical need.

NDC responds to community needs by offering a range of services that are currently not available or too costly to community groups and non-profits in the Baltimore and Prince George's County area - including conceptual building and site plans, preliminary feasibility studies and cost estimates, neighborhood master plans, and community development guidance.