COGdesign provides pro bono landscape design to under-resourced community groups in greater Boston with the goal to create together beautiful, resilient green space which meets neighborhood needs

 

 

 

History

COGdesign was launched in 1995 as a program of the Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) student chapter at the Radcliffe Seminars in Landscape Design. After receiving many requests for design help from community groups, and witnessing designers’ strong interest in working with community projects, organizers decided to incorporate COGdesign as an independent non-profit organization in 1997. COGdesign has been able to draw on a dedicated stream of graduates and students from the Radcliffe Seminars and it’s evolving incarnations: The Landscape Institute of Harvard and the Arnold Arboretum through 2009 and the Boston Architectural College from 2010-2015. We have partnered with students from the BAC and Northeastern University and are able to give credit. COG actively seeks new landscape designers and landscape architects — both students and practicing professionals. To date, COGdesign has completed 125 landscape designs with more than 120 community partners in urban, rural, and suburban locations in Eastern Massachusetts. 

 

Mission

COGdesign provides pro bono landscape design to under-resourced community groups in greater Boston with the goal to create together beautiful, resilient green space which meets neighborhood needs. COGdesign is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that —

  • Connects community groups with accomplished landscape designers who respond to the community’s needs
  • Creates volunteer opportunities for anyone interested in strengthening communities by creating and improving neighborhood green spaces
  • Generates meaningful professional experience for student and practicing landscape designers

COGdesign connects underserved communities with the technical design assistance they need to create design plans for new green space or for restoring/renovating an existing park, garden, yard or plaza. 

Read about the COGdesign process

 

Participatory Design

With assistance from community leadership, COG designers promote public participation in the planning and design process and appreciate the importance of involving their project’s constituency. Experience has shown that any project undertaken in a given community is most successful when neighborhood stakeholders drive the process. 

COG volunteer designers gain valuable experience working with informed community clients.