On a cold evening with the first snow on the ground, an interdisciplinary team of A+D students working with the Community Design Assistance Center (CDAC) gave design presentations to enthusiastic community members in Dante, Virginia. (Rhymes with ‘paint’…not like the famous Italian poet).

Students from Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, and Architecture are working with CDAC leadership, industry partners, and A+D faculty to master plan downtown, propose new uses for the historic “steam” building, and develop housing guidelines and prototypes. The goal is the continued revitalization and economic empowerment of this former coal town and the greater region. You know the work you are doing is impactful when there are hugs at the end from members of the community.

The work in Dante is being supported by a grant from the EPA.

Established in 1988, CDAC is an outreach center in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies that assists communities, civic groups, and nonprofit organizations in improving their natural and built environments through research, community engagement, and interdisciplinary design.