What Design can Learn from Community Development 

In May of 2026, I went back to school for a Master’s in Community Development. I’ve been lucky enough to work on community-based projects for the last decade or so as a designer, in spaces such as disability justice, healthcare, and the cooperative economy. While I felt well-equipped in research and design methods, I’ve also realized that there was so much more to learn about working with communities in responsible, ethical, and reciprocal ways—skills that are rarely emphasized in traditional design education. 

This blog post is my initial attempt at summarizing what lessons I’ve learned as a design practitioner from the field of community development after my first semester in the program. I hope that this can spark discussion with other community-oriented designers and help us build our practices and toolboxes together.