Why is it important to involve the community in design projects? Which community engagement practices are effective and which are not? Our two guest speakers this month will discuss community engagement and how effective practices contribute to good design and project success. Planner Anita Yap is founder of the MultiCultural Collaborative which has guided community engagement processes for Portland's Jade District Visioning Plan, Cully Park Safe Access Project, and the Powell-Division Transit and Development Project. Lucas Gray is with Propel Studio, a firm that advocates for community engagement as one of the tenets of its practice. Recently Propel worked with residents of a Japanese farming town to come up with new ideas for an unused nursery school building. In Portland's Montavilla neighborhood, collaboration with parents and other stakeholders yielded a design for a play shelter at Vestal Elementary School.  Doors open at 5:45—AIA Center for Architecture, 403 NW 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97209 (enter on NW Flanders St). Refreshments will be served.