In the present economy, it is very hard to find a job. But in times of need people will find ways to keep themselves working. Like when a group of architects who in 1991, during a time of similar economic climate, had trouble finding jobs, they decided to create something that would keep them working on real life projects.

The group of architects sat around a Don Matskin's kitchen table talking about how to find work and in turn came up with a solution. The architects decided to start their own non-profit volunteer based firm that would give back to non-profit and community initiatives. From these initial meetings, the Community Design Collaborative was created., providing pro bono predevelopment design services to non-profit organizations as well as volunteer opportunities for Architects, Landscape architects and Engineers. All projects are in the preliminary or beginning stages so as to not take away jobs from practicing professionals. The understanding is that once the teams work out the designs, the organizations can take the information to professionals that can help them finish the job.

The Community Design Collaborative measures success in different ways. Their projects are not always built, but the chance to raise awareness about certain urban development issues or to redirect a client on a different, more stable path are important as well. The chance to see a structure being built that an architect designed is very inspiring, but the chance to educate the public about urban design has a far greater effect than any one building can have. With each project, the CDC tries to raise awareness about the importance of design in community revitalization. One great example is their Infill Philadelphia initiative, a five year program that grew out of the design challenge for affordable housing. Infill Philadelphia is a public initiative that features broader design challenges and concepts helping urban communities re-envision their neighborhoods and address concerns of specific sites within Philadelphia communities.

Although the CDC works with volunteer professionals, they have an office staff who are either full time or part time workers. The office staff help organize teams and manage projects as well as help with their public relations image. The office staff also works with participants from Americorps and Vista who have one year placements that help around the office, and are not usually from a design background. They help mainly with communications and public relations. For each project the office staff is working behind the scenes to place and arrange qualified volunteers. The staff of the CDC tries to organize teams based on experience and qualification as well as the structure of the team. Because each project relies heavily on volunteer service, projects are approved based on the man power of the volunteers. But the Collaborative also wants to cater to their volunteers and let them rate their interest in projects. They get to choose their preferenced project, but ultimately the CDC tries to put together cohesive and well managed teams with lots of different experiences and qualifications. Also they keep in mind the best fit for their client.

Initially when the CDC first started the architects were going out to find clients and projects, but now the collaborative is so established that the application process is very competitive. There are a few guidelines that the CDC requires before being approved. The first is that the organization must be a non-profit and qualify as tax exempt. The location of the organization must be located one of these counties: Philadelphia, Bucks, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery or Camden Counties. The organization must also have a board of directors and seeking preliminary design services. Even though the CDC does not approve all projects, they do refer organizations to other resources or encourage them to apply again. The type of projects they look for show some kind of greater advocacy and educational opportunity that the Collaborative can address and raise awareness in the community.

Now in its 20th year, the collaborative is still going strong. They have built a large group of clients and volunteers as well as created a public initiative to show how design can improve Philadelphia communities. It is amazing what a group of people can do when they put their creative minds together, especially to overcome a tough economic situation.