Introducing... the Guiding Principles

For a full year, beginning in 2020, our staff evaluated each of the 10 Principles of The Plan of Nashville against the new Civic Design Center brand identity and our Socially Conscious Design Principles: promotes inclusivity, amplifies voices, identifies overlooked problems, increases awareness, builds support, creates equity, and raises quality of life for all. The Guiding Principles were then thoughtfully evaluated by a committee of Board Members and community stakeholders.

Instead of adapting each individual Principle from the 10 Principles to reflect the new brand, we worked to deepen the meaning of all the Principles and expand the audience. This showcases that while Nashville is where we make the most impact, the Civic Design Center is poised to be an inspiration for communities throughout the country.

In an ideal world, there are 4 pillars of community design—Representation, Foundation, Preservation, and Expansion—in that order. One pillar cannot exist without considering the others. In order for community design to reflect its residents, those members must be included in the process.

See the next page to learn more about the Guiding Principles and their pillars, or visit www.civicdesigncenter.org/guiding-principles

We finally launched the Guiding Principles during our Annual Luncheon in November 2021. From January through April of 2022, we hosted a Guiding Principle event series (photo above) that paired leaders from various industries to discuss the importance of each

Guiding Principle pillar within an ecosystem of design and planning ideals for which we should strive as a community.

The Guiding Principles for Civic Design are a representation that the Civic Design Center exists as a major collaborator with community members, a breadth of advocacy organizations, and municipalities.