Design the City, 2026 Capital Campaign
Secure the Center: a $2M campaign for the next generation.
We're launching a new blueprint for San Francisco: revitalizing downtown, expanding equitable housing, empowering youth through design education, and uplifting women and creators of color. The future of our city is being drawn right now.
Design the future ›San Francisco stands at a defining moment. As our city reimagines its future, the role of architecture and design has never been more important. The places we create, preserve, and transform will shape how generations live, work, learn, and connect.
Founded by AIA San Francisco in 2005, the Center opened its downtown home in 2023 following a major renovation. Now, we are launching a capital campaign to secure the Center's future and expand its impact for decades to come.
Recovery isn't a mood. It's a floor plan.
Moving past the "doom loop" narrative to actively build a resilient, accessible urban core, a downtown "living room" where design solutions for housing and the urban core are built, not just debated.
The next great architect can't make rent. Yet.
Equip local youth with the design tools, mentorship, and creative education to shape their own neighborhoods, and their careers.
Whose city is it? Check who's holding the blueprint.
Ensure the creators, architects, and leaders of our built environment reflect the true diversity of our city, uplifting women and creators of color.
Good design is a public health measure.
Create public spaces, community hubs, and environments that actively improve daily health outcomes for everyone who lives and works here.
See the vision
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What your gift actually does
The Center's downtown home was built with a construction loan. Retiring it does one permanent thing: the money that goes to the bank every month starts going to youth programs, scholarships, and free public exhibitions instead.
A gift to Design the City is not a one-time fix. It is a raise for the Center's mission, month after month, for as long as the building stands. You are not paying off a debt. You are turning a mortgage payment into a scholarship, permanently.
Secure the Center
Join the coalition. Sign up to receive early access to our initiative launch, community toolkits, and exclusive events at the Architecture and the City Festival.
This year's festival isn't just a series of events, it's the kickoff for a permanent civic transformation.