Our Story

Rural Design Project (RDP) is an education-based community planning, public engagement, and program design studio serving rural towns.

Our work spans community planning, including needs assessments, feasibility studies, and strategic roadmaps; public engagement, such as workshops, surveys, and stakeholder facilitation; and program design and implementation, turning insights into practical, fundable initiatives. We also provide technical assistance, capacity-building, and evaluation support, ensuring programs are effectively executed and sustainable.

The Rural Design Project began out of a growing recognition that rural communities face unique challenges that are often overlooked in mainstream urban development practices. As rural areas experience shifts in population, economy, and environmental pressures, there is a pressing need for solutions that are designed with each individual community and community member in mind. By bringing together various fields — design, policy, planning, development — the project aims to create innovative strategies that empower rural residents and foster resilient, sustainable, and thriving communities.

We are here to help small to mid-size rural cities and towns navigate challenges, develop students into citizen designers through real world experience, and create research that supports these efforts.