The Curry Stone Design Collaborative (CSDC) is a design studio created to equip underserved and marginalised communities with methods to design, develop and improve their built environments. Operating in India in 2016, CDSC operates as a collective of social design practices, architects, civic planners working collaboratively with communities in need. It unites design practitioners and communities in a common cause: addressing inequalities using design and technical tools.
At CSDC’s core is a community driven design process. It starts by spending significant time with residents to gain a thorough understanding of the complexities of their living conditions. It is only after the community is comfortable and familiar with the CSDC team that the work of collaborating on the design of life-improving solutions begins. The ultimate goal is for the community to be full participants in the initial process, and to be empowered to continue the work on their own for years to come. We refrain from broad replicability of ideas or purely quantitative results and focus on sustained qualitative metrics. We strongly believe in the value of local knowledge and expertise. We therefore aim to expand within and beyond India through collaborations with local professionals, agencies and non-profits. This allows for our methodologies to evolve and meet the unique needs of each client community.