27 Small City Anchor Institutions • Feature • Bohannon And I’ll close with this: When community realities inform research, the academy doesn’t lose rigor; it gains relevance, accountability, and new ways of knowing. What role can universities play in fostering strong, collaborative relationships between designers and communities? When I think about the role universities can play in fostering strong, collaborative relationships between designers and communities, I see it as both a structural role and a cultural one. Universities are uniquely positioned to slow things down, create space for learning, and support relationships that aren’t driven solely by immediate outcomes or market pressures. First, universities can act as longterm partners rather than shortterm consultants. Communities and municipalities often experience design engagement as episodic projects come in, extract information, and then disappear. Universities can counter that by committing to sustained engagement over time. Through labs, studios, and research centers, universities can provide continuity across political cycles, funding changes, and staff turnover. That consistency is foundational to trust. Second, universities can help reframe how designers are trained to engage with communities. Strong collaboration doesn’t happen automatically; it requires skills in listening, facilitation, humility, –CL Bohannon The goal isn’t just to translate research into practice; it’s to expand the range of what practice can be by using design research to deepen our understanding of place and to build projects with communities.
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