Mission

We engage Western North Carolina in creative community based design to promote healthy, thriving and equitable communities.

Guiding Principles

We value inclusive community input and engagement and believe that community-based design leads to healthy, thriving and equitable communities.

We value a multi-disciplinary approach to design excellence and are committed to the American Institute of Architects’ principles for livable communities.

• Design on a human scale
• Provide choices
• Encourage mixed-use development
• Preserve urban centers
• Vary transportation options
• Build vibrant public spaces
• Create a neighborhood identity
• Protect environmental resources
• Conserve landscapes
• Design matters

We value transparency and as, an independent nonprofit design center, we strive to be an honest broker of services.