concordia is a community based planning and design team with a collective passion for the principles of concord. We implement our work through an integrative and participatory process that addresses physical, cultural, social, educational, organizational and economic assets and needs.
Concordia in a nutshell
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CONCORDIA , LLC
Concordia, LLC is an internationally recognized urban design, architecture, and public policy planning firm. Founded in 1983, our staff has undertaken bold initiatives to increase the voice of all people in the planning and development of their cities and neighborhoods. But rather than focus on any one component of planning, our model integrates physical, cultural, social, economic, organizational, and educational planning into a single systemic and community-based planning process. The result is more effective and efficient community programs and infrastructure at a much lower cost to taxpayers.
THE CONCORDIA MODEL
Over the past 15 years, Concordia has been developing tools to promote the comprehensive planning and design of facilities in the context of the total community. These tools comprise the Concordia Model, which combines a democratic and community-based planning process with an integrated analysis of physical, cultural, social, economic, organizational, and educational assets and needs. The Concordia Model has been applied in a wide variety of urban, suburban, and rural environments. The results include projects like the Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan where a charter high school/museum combination produced a compelling learning environment at less than one-fourth the cost of a comparable stand alone facility. Another recent educational project includes the Metropolitan Regional Career & Technical Center in Providence, Rhode Island, which has been funded for fifty replications by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Concordia Model has been well received nationally and we have been fortunate to receive funding from many national and regional sponsors such as the Ford Foundation, the KnowledgeWorks Foundation (Ohio), and the William Penn Foundation (Philadelphia).
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
For over 20 years, Concordia has undertaken extensive research in the design of innovative environments for teaching and learning. Research alliances have included the MIT Media Lab, Harvard University’s Project Zero, University of New Mexico, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Thornburg Institute, Appalachian Education Lab, and West Ed Lab. This research has included the development of national symposia, alliances with leading scholars, and research papers on topics related to democratic and interdisciplinary practices. Concordia’s founder, Steven Bingler, was the principle author of “Schools as Centers of Community: A Citizen’s Guide”, a policy document produced for the US Department of Education. Concordia has also been involved in many notable research and development projects concerning school size. Most recently, Concordia was a partner in the research and publication of Dollars and Sense: The Cost Effectiveness of Small Schools, a collaboration with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, Rural Schools and Community Trust, and Dr. Craig Howley of Ohio University. A recently completed second edition called Dollars and Sense II: Lessons from Good Cost-Effective Small Schools, published in partnership with the KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was released in September, 2005.
IMPLEMENTATION
Above all, Concordia is focused on implementing its progressive planning and design practices through the development of model programs and projects. For all of our projects, we research existing best practices and review every appropriate educational model, from on-site fully contained programs to those that have full academic and internship programs utilizing community resources to enhance learning opportunities and reduce costs. Our process involves the extensive engagement of stakeholders, including educational administrators, teachers, parents, students, local civic leaders and business professionals, in a series of intense and inclusive investigative planning meetings. Through the use of advanced facilitation practices, we assist the community in exploring the full range of possibilities and options available for each school situation. The outcome is a clear integration of the educational delivery system’s curriculum, instructional practices, and educational facilities design.
Comments
good afternoon, i was just looking at your company, how did you get started
patricia perry on October 25th, 2005
The initial inspiration came from a collaboration that I initiated for the design of the courtyard for the Intercontinental Hotel in New Orleans that included a sculptor, a painter, a physicist, a mathematician and a composer. The result was inspiring and led to my pursuit of the elusive concept of concordia, which means agreement (between people) and harmony (among things). I started Concordia as a firm in 1983 at the time of the Worlds Fair in New Orleans. Our first project as to develop a master plan for the former Jax Brewery, a 25 acre site in the French Quarter along the Mississippi River, where we also located the New Orleans Aquarium. There was a lot of community engagement, historic preservation and environmental design issues. Later we became committed to public architecture and have been pursuing community engagment in the design of schools,housing and other public institutions.
Hope this helps explain.......Steven Bingler
Steven Bingler on October 27th, 2005