For over 24 years, the Civic Design Center has stood as a beacon for community-driven urban planning projects and programs. Based in downtown Nashville, this nonprofit organization draws expertise from diverse professional and academic sources, including Vanderbilt University, to engage community members in the envisioning and shaping of the city. Since its formation in 2000, the Civic Design Center has maintained a strong bond with Vanderbilt.
Originating from grassroots opposition to a highway project in the 1990s, the Center emerged not just as an advocacy group but as a symbol of what collective vision can achieve. Former Nashville mayor and current adjunct faculty member Bill Purcell envisioned a civic design center that would form a new narrative in urban planning, with a mission to bring design-focused change that would endure for generations.
To shepherd the budding organization toward its goals, Vanderbilt University loaned James Sandlin to serve as the first executive director. Sandlin worked alongside the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Mark Schimmenti, who took on the role of the first design director. These early leaders exemplified the Center's emphasis on collaborating with higher education institutions.
In 2004, the research of the advocacy group culminated in the publication of The Plan of Nashville: Avenues to a Great City, a comprehensive strategy for the urban future of Nashville, published by Vanderbilt University Press.
"Vanderbilt has been one of our strategic partners since the very beginning of the Civic Design Center's history," shares Gary Gaston, MED'17, Civic Design Center CEO. "The breadth at which we collaborate across university departments is a model of academic and nonprofit collaboration."
"The impact of our combined efforts has significant positive ripple effects on the quality of life for Nashvillians of all ages. Our mentees, interns and fellows from Vanderbilt have each left their mark on the city and we know they continue to do great things as they move forward in life," Gaston says.
A Vanderbilt alumnus, Gaston earned a master's degree in community development and action from Peabody College of education and human development.
The long-standing partnership has continued through the contributions of Vanderbilt faculty and staff serving on the Center's board of directors, including current board member Eric Kopstain, vice chancellor for administration.
This collaboration extends beyond administrative ties, enriching both students and the community. Vanderbilt students serving as interns and research fellows find themselves immersed in real-world projects with tangible impacts, enhancing their academic journeys and preparing them for future leadership roles in civic engagement.
"So many of our students have had opportunities to learn through involvement with the Civic Design Center while we work toward shared goals of more civic participation and more sustainable and equitable urban development," adds Peabody College professor of human and organizational development and director of graduate studies Brian Christens.
