The Sisters Civic Design Lab
A lab for the town we want to live in
The Lab exists to help Sisters think beyond election cycles, annual budgets, and one-off projects. It researches, designs, tests, and measures improvements to the long-term quality of life here.
Role
Independent. Advisory. Accountable.
The Lab holds no public authority, and wants none.
It is independent, nonpartisan, transparent, evidence-driven, and community-centered by charter. It doesn’t replace elected government, the Planning Commission, the School Board, public agencies, or any existing civic organization. It exists to make their work, and the community’s choices, better informed.
The design process
- 01
Observe. Listen, map, and measure how the town actually works today.
- 02
Imagine. Design evidence-grounded options worth arguing about.
- 03
Prototype. Test cheaply and reversibly before anyone commits.
- 04
Measure. Publish results, including the failures.
- 05
Recommend. Hand findings to accountable partners.
- 06
Implement. Through public institutions and partners, never by decree.
How the work is organized
Six studios
Each studio owns a slice of town life, runs its own research and prototypes, and publishes everything it learns.
Community Design Studio
Housing, neighborhoods, architecture, downtown, public space, third places, and open space.
Wildfire & Resilience Studio
Forest health, land-use resilience, evacuation, infrastructure, water, and emergency preparedness.
Education & Youth Studio
Schools, outdoor education, arts, STEM, youth leadership, and lifelong learning.
Economy & Innovation Studio
Entrepreneurship, remote work, tourism, local business, technology, and the creative economy.
Mobility Studio
Trails, walking, cycling, transit, parking, accessibility, and future mobility.
Data & Futures Studio
Research, GIS, scenario planning, dashboards, AI, modeling, and public reporting.
Ethics
Rules the Lab cannot break
- Disclose conflicts of interest
- Distinguish evidence from opinion
- Acknowledge uncertainty
- Invite public challenge
- Represent diverse viewpoints
- Avoid political endorsements
Radical transparency
Everything gets published
Research, project status, budgets, funding sources, conflicts of interest, meeting summaries, prototype results, and annual progress reports. All of it public, all of it in plain language. Success gets measured in real community outcomes: education, wildfire resilience, trail connectivity, park access, teacher retention, housing diversity, downtown vitality, volunteer participation, community trust, and environmental health.
People power the Lab
Fellowships for every kind of neighbor
The Lab is designed to run on residents. A few hours a month, real work, real credit.
“The Sisters Civic Design Lab exists to help the community think beyond election cycles, annual budgets, and isolated projects.”