PGLRE #55: The Future of Community Design Centers with Anna McCorvey
On episode 55 of Pretty Girls Love Real Estate, I chat with Anna McCorvey, LEEP AP-certified architect and founder of the River East Design Center based in the Anacostia neighborhood of SE DC. During our conversation we discuss:
- Programs and initiatives to increase the amount of black women architects (currently only around 500 in the United States)
-Evolution of community design centers over the years
-How the pandemic has changed how architects are thinking about residential design
Book suggestion:
From Bauhaus to Our House By Tom Wolfe
Contact Anna:
Full Bio:
Anna found architecture through housing; public housing to be more specific. Growing up in Mississippi, she noticed the subtle and sometimes flagrant differences between the housing and schools from one part of town to the next. Her desire to understand and address these differences led her to a Bachelors of Architecture degree from Howard University and a Masters of City Planning degree from the University of California Berkeley, where she chose a housing and community development emphasis. Since graduating, she has been a key member of design teams working on affordable and low-income housing developments, schools and other buildings that serve the public. In 2018, Anna founded the River East Design Center, a nonprofit community design center that fosters civic engagement through education and low cost design services. The design center aims to give residents the tools they need to shape their environments and address the inequities that hinder the growth of their communities. She is a licensed architect in Washington, DC who loves to cook, crochet and listen to live music.
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