DSNI to be featured in Cooper Hewitt’s new exhibition

Starting this Fall, DSNI’s Community Land Trust will be featured in Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s exhibition series “By the People: Designing a Better America,” which highlights socially responsible design and explores the challenges faced by urban, suburban and rural communities across the country.  

The exhibition demonstrates how design can address the world’s most critical issues and can help save what is authentic and essential for communities to thrive. The Community Land Trust, which was created under the vision of development without displacement, is recognized as one of the nation’s most successful urban community land trusts and the only project from Boston to be featured.

“We’re honored and excited to be included in this exhibit and have the opportunity to share our story,” said Executive Director Juan E. Leyton. “At DSNI, we encourage our residents to work together to lead the planning and designing of their own life solutions, and we’d love to inspire others around the world to do the same.”

Twenty-five years ago, Dudley residents were able to establish community control over a critical mass of abandoned land within what is known as the Dudley Triangle. The Dudley Neighborhood Inc. Community Land Trust plays a crucial role in preserving affordable housing and providing residents with a way to control the development process in the neighborhood.

“By the People: Designing a Better America,” features design solutions that expand access to education, food, health care and affordable housing; increase social and economic inclusion; offer improved alternative transportation options; and provide a balanced approach to land use between the built and natural environment. It will be exhibited from Sept. 30 2016 to Feb. 26, 2017 at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York.