A crowd gathered outside the new Neighborhood Network Center. People are celebrating, some waving or taking photos, with some holding large scissors at a ribbon-cutting event.

Neighborhood Network Center

USE: Community Center

LOCATION: Worcester, MA

DATE COMPLETED: 2025

AREA: 1500sf

The Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center was reconceived as an inclusive Urban Room for Civic Engagement. The renovation provided for expanded programming, including small business development, workforces training, arts and cultural events, and community support services— all in a space reflecting the diverse identities of the Center’s users.

The participatory design process included Center Director and staff, the City of Worcester, Worcester Common Ground, Mass Development TDI Fellow Ivette Olmeda, local residents, students, and Reif Larsen of "The Future of Small Cities Institute."

Photograph of the front of a building with signs and door, with handwritten purple notes and arrows overlayed indicating various elements like a welcome sign, a board sign, street furniture, and the building's facade.
A diverse group of people sitting around a large wooden table in a community room, engaging in a discussion or meeting, with a bulletin board and art on the walls in the background.
A design concept layout with photographs of collaborative workspaces, including an office with computers and seating, a lounge area with people using rugs and furniture, and a group discussing art projects on the floor, alongside a floor plan with ar
A presentation slide titled "Embedding Ideas" featuring five photos of people in various settings. The first photo shows an audience watching a presentation with a black-and-white image projected on a screen. The second photo depicts a group of peopl
Two adults sitting at a table looking at a large sheet of paper with drawings and notes. One person is writing on it with a red marker, and the woman is holding a soda can. There is a laptop and a few other objects on the table, with a child in the b
People gathered around a conference table reviewing blueprints, with one person pointing at the plans, surrounded by notebooks, pens, and a laptop in a room with bookshelves and a wooden floor.

Community

Architecture

Interiors

Ecology