MISSION: To improve the quality of life in Wisconsin through physical change to the environment and refinement of decision making processes effecting the environment.

OBJECTIVES:

• Be a Catalyst for positive physical change in areas that have insufficient access to design and planning services
• Form Partnerships that promote our mission
• Stimulate funding & construction where they are most needed
• Inform & Stimulate the existing design and construction process

Housed in the School of Architecture & Urban Planning on the UWM Campus, CDS accomplishes its objectives in two major ways.

• Provides, upon request, design and planning services, education, and training to underserved non-profit groups in Wisconsin
• Supports community-based applied research into design and/or planning related issues

QUICK RESPONSE TEAM (QRT)
CDS through this student led team responds effectively to requests for planning and design services from neighborhood groups, community organizations, and the UWM community. QRT services include:

• Neighborhood visioning
• Renovation/adapative reuse
• Streetscape and landscape planning.
• Sustainable development and design
• Design for special needs and activities
• Urban green space planning and design
• Design education and training

QRT does not stamp drawings; create final design plans or undertake/supervise construction

CDS programs are funded by a combination of UWM funds, gifts, grants, and fees for service. Service priority is given to requests for the greater Milwaukee area from registered non-profits based mainly on client need, nature of the project relative to skills and resources available, and timeline.

Staff:
Robert Greenstreet — Director
Susan Weistrop — Administrative Program Specialist
Neel Chapagain — Quick Response Team Manager
Larry Kilmer — Quick Response Team Project Assistant

Faculty Advisers:
Virginia Carlson, Associate Professor, Urban Planning
Mark Keane, Professor, Architecture
Gil Snyder, Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Architecture

Staff Handbook (pdf)

Contact information:
Phone:    414/229-6165 or 4014
E-mail:    susatrop@uwm.edu
Address: Community Design Solutions
               School of Architecture & Urban Planning
               University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
               P. O. Box  413
               Milwaukee, WI 53201

COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCIL: Liaison from CDS to the communities it serves

Community Representatives:
David Ciepluch, WeEnergies, Advocacy and Energy Options
Ricardo Diaz, Executive Director, United Community Center
Therese Gripentrog, Landscape Architect, Wisconsin DNR, Land Management Section
Darryl Johnson, Executive Director, Riverworks Development Corporation
Charlotte John-Gomez, Executive Director, Layton Boulevard West Neighbors
Constance Lindholm, Executive Director, Wisconsin Green Building Alliance
Maria Pandazi, Project Manager, Milwaukee DCD
Pat Wyzbinski, President, Management Cornerstones, Inc

UWM Campus Representatives:
Sharon Adams, Director, Institute for Service Learning
Stephen Percy, PhD, Director, Center for Urban Initiatives and Research

CDS Representatives:
Robert Greenstreet, Dean/Director
Susan Weistrop, Administrator

SARUP Representatives EX-officio:
Brian Wishne, Chair, Department of Architecture
Nancy Frank, Chair, Department of Urban Planning
Stephen Heidt, Assistant Dean for Business

Department of Architecture CDS Advisory Council:
James Wasley
Chris Cornelius
Gregory Thomson
James Dicker