Village Building Design Course

VBDC design charrette
The Village Building Design Course augments the hands-on placemaking opportunities of VBC with in-depth classes. The course will focus on the theory, skills, outcomes and joys of placemaking.
  • 2012 Dates TBA.
  • A VBC enhancement course
  • Taught by key organizers and social activists, including Mark Lakeman
  • $300 (does not include VBC evening admission)
    • Includes 36 hours of class time, 14 meals
  • vbdc@cityrepair.org for more Info

About the course

Living Roof Installation This course is for community organizers, social activists, artists, builders, designers and anyone with a passion for the common good -- experienced or aspiring. This course is ideal for people outside of Portland who are eager to learn about and replicate the work of City Repair and the Village Building Convergence (VBC) in their own town or city. It’s also valuable for local Portland residents preparing for future community placemaking, or looking to get the most out of their village building experience!

Historically, many people from out of town have attended VBC. Many of them have taken the ideas back home, and there are City-Repair-type projects in many other place. We recently realized that attending VBC, and participating in the site projects, is not quite enough, though. The Village Building Design Course bridges the gap, giving the background, insights and training needed to create placemakers -- people who can return home and, with their neighbors, change spaces into places.

The Village Building Design Course is a dynamic course that combines learning from experts with creative group activities. The course integrates with active participation at placemaking sites for a holistic introduction to placemaking. You’ll come out of it with 9 days of hands-on creation skills, along with the knowledge and understanding of how to successfully engender positive change in your own community, from beginning to the next beginning (spiraling growth!).

The course starts before VBC, giving three days to get oriented to Portland, City Repair, VBC and each other. When VBC starts (Friday evening), the pace will pick up quite a bit. You’ll hurtle through 10 very full days! Each morning you’ll be spending time with knowledgeable and experienced community organizers and placemakers who are leading the course. We’ll share with you what we know and help you work through the obstacles and challenges that you’re facing. Then you’ll launch into a day of volunteering at a community site of your choice. Many of you will return to the venue for the evening program.

Topics for the course

Placemaking as expressed by City Repair, and its Village Building Convergen
  • Placemaking as expressed by City Repair, and its Village Building Convergence 
  • How do we make a village in a city?  Fundamentals of village design (includes neighborhood adventure!)
  • Scope of placemaking: universal patterns we draw from, insights for creating human-scale places in our neighborhoods.
  • Social capital and community asset mapping: building trust and nurishing potential
  • Collaborative design: identifying values, determining functions, setting priorities, while maintaining inclusivity in the design
  • Examples of sustainable placemaking: models of inspiration
  • Making It Happen: project preparation, community work parties, project upkeep
  • Celebration and the future: storytelling and cultivating a myth to change the world!
    • How do we make a village in a city?  Fundamentals of village design (includes neighborhood adventure!)
    Scope of placemaking: universal patterns we draw from, insights for creating human-scale places in our neighborhoods. The poetry of it all... (Students who are irrevocably lost on this day will be returned to Lost and Found.)
    Social capital and community asset mapping: building trust and nurishing potential
    Collaborative design: identifying values, determining functions, setting priorities, while maintaining inclusivity in the design
    Examples of sustainable placemaking: models of inspiration
    Making It Happen: project preparation, community work parties, project upkeep
    Celebration and the future: storytelling and cultivating a myth to change the world!

    Registration

    This course will convene for approximately 36 hours and will include a healthy vegan breakfast daily, and lunches for the first three days. Following three days of introductory material, classes will primarily take place in the morning during VBC, with time in the afternoon for engaging with placemaking sites throughout the city (free of charge), and attending the evening programming (not included in course fee). 

    Registration is not yet available.

    Gaia University Associates

    Gaia University Associates should register for the course by emailing vbdc@cityrepair.org. Gaia international will be handling the payment arrangements with/for you.