This summer, The Capital Market team has been busy representing our mission and sharing our expertise at major regional and national gatherings focused on placemaking, design, and food policy.
The Vision is Yours: A Regional Placemaking Forum
On June 5–6, The Neighborhood Design Center hosted The Vision is Yours: A Regional Placemaking Forum–an in-person, two-day event that brought together urban planners, community leaders, designers, artists, and public officials to explore fresh approaches to activating public spaces across Maryland and the Washington, D.C. region. The Capital Market team participated to learn new strategies for using art to bring places to life and led a workshop on Healthy Food Walk Audits, while also contributing to two panel discussions, including the opening plenary.
Farm Policy Forum
Ashley D. represented The Capital Market on a panel at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Farm Policy Forum. The event focused on building a common understanding of how federal actions–such as tariffs, trade policies, legislation, procurement, and competitive funding–impact farmers, residents, food assistance providers, and state and local governments.
Design Futures Forum
From June 2–6, team member Brittney D. attended and presented at the Design Futures Forum, a five-day interdisciplinary leadership development convening hosted by Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. The gathering brought together 70+ student leaders and 25+ faculty from across the country to explore the future of community-engaged design. Brittney co-presented Anecdotes to Data Points – Examining the Role of Information Collection and Translation in Community-Engaged Design with Anna McCorvey and Allie O’Neill. The session shared practical “how-tos” for neighbor-led data collection, strategies to fill gaps in community knowledge, and explored the ethics of data in place-based advocacy.
From local placemaking to national design leadership and regional food policy, The Capital Market continues to bring its voice, vision, and values to the table–ensuring that food systems, community engagement, and place-based strategies remain at the heart of regional development.
