Long Beach Community Design Center

The Long Beach Community Design Center (LBCDC) lbcdesign.org continues to make a significant positive impact on the residents of Long Beach. We have successfully facilitated the delivery of conceptual design plans for two Alley Restoration projects with a local nonprofit and neighborhood association. These projects are located in the northern and central parts of the city and will be used as community gathering areas and as an extension of needed open space.

On the youth engagement side, LBCDC created a high school youth engagement program (Young Community Planners of Long Beach) partnering with Long Beach City Parks and Recreation and Cal Poly Pomona Urban Planning program to expose young people to urban planning and design using their neighborhood as a learning laboratory and encouraging them to consider the fields of urban planning and design as a potential career. The annual program consisted of a series of hands-on workshops at teen centers in Houghton Park in North Long Beach, McBride Park in Central Long Beach, and Silverado Park in West Long Beach. LBCDC has also conducted placemaking workshops with the City of Long Beach Library SEED program. The program is a summer design camp to engage teachers and youth on the elements of urban planning and design in a learn-by-doing environment.

Lastly, LBCDC spearheaded in partnership with Long Beach City College and Cal Poly Pomona the development of an Associate of Science degree in Urban Planning (the first in the state) and a corresponding articulation agreement with Cal Poly Pomona's urban planning undergraduate program.  This initiative will create an academic pipeline and career pathway for youth of Long Beach. 

Testimonials

"Learning about urban planning has revealed a world of new opportunities, career paths, and perspectives, entirely changing my outlook on the world around me. Having the opportunity to attend the panel discussion about gentrification and revitalization, allowed me the honor of experiencing Long Beach, in all its diversity, coming together around a shared topic. Thanks to the Long Beach Community Design Center's ongoing outreach and support for youth, many of us, including myself, are inspired to pursue careers in urban planning and to be more mindful of both our environment and the communities we are part of."

Chimnazaekpere Nwala, Long Beach High School Student

"Partnering with the Long Beach Community Design Center has been a pivotal step for our green alley project. They took our vision and transformed it into a tangible design concept through community workshops and expert architectural input. With this solid foundation, we have finished our project proposal and are now actively seeking funding and city support to bring our vision to life in the near future."

Hilda Gayton, Puente Latino

“It was a great privilege to serve as the first intern for the Design Center. The opportunity to work with David and the Board of Directors allowed me to spearhead the first mixer, support university partnerships with USC and Cal Poly Pomona to begin the youth planning program, and represent the center at the Getty Summer Festivals. These experiences along with David’s mentorship as an urban planner influenced my passion for community engagement, particularly with a focus on youth involvement in the planning process. I am grateful for this experience and the planning network I created through this opportunity. Even as I moved on to other roles, I still support the center and advocate for them whenever I can because of how strongly I believe in their mission to connect youth to urban planning and design.” 

Samantha Joanna Guerrero, Former LBCDC Intern

“The Long Beach Public Library's SEED program is an arts-centered design program for middle school students that aims to cultivate creativity and instill creative confidence in teens. During preparation for our third year of the program, we discovered the work of the Long Beach Community Design Center (LBCDC), and we had the pleasure of attending a workshop with a group of teenagers at a local park. The experience was eye-opening and it left us energized and with a new set of tools and framing to bring back to our program. Since then, we have partnered with LBCDC to offer us guidance, training, and inspiration, and we look forward to creating stronger bonds and pathways together for our Long Beach youth.”

 Gabriel Gaete, LBPL SEED Program Coordinator