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— ABOUT COMMUNITY DESIGN ALLIANCE —

OUR HISTORY, WHO WE ARE TODAY, AND GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

Cindy and Mike Dingeldein co-founded Community Design Alliance (CDA) in 2012, after retiring from a rewarding 28-year career as partners and Vice Presidents at SHP Leading Design.  CDA was created with the goal of continuing a community-based architecture, design and planning firm at 236 High St., in the heart of downtown Hamilton, Ohio.  CDA strives to support and inspire the revitalization of the City of Hamilton and all regional communities, by offering effective architectural and interior design solutions through partnerships of public and private entities in order to leverage creative and cost-conscious solutions.  Mike has a strong interest in community planning and is an accredited member of the Congress for New Urbanism.  CDA’s office is LEED Silver certified and is an Ohio EDGE certified firm (HUB Zone).
Cindy and Mike each bring over 35 years of experience with design and project management responsibilities for a variety of public and private sector work to each project.  Over our respective careers we have been involved in over 1 billion dollars of project cost and enjoyed a continued partnership with numerous public and private sector clients. Today, as Community Design Alliance, we believe that the small firm model and our skill set brings value and a wealth of experience to our clients and partners.  We seek alliances with people, programs, companies, and institutions to design creative solutions for places to live, learn, work, play and create, in order to leverage projects from possibilities to success stories.  The CDA project approach is the result of years of experience running a wide variety of projects for school boards, city governments and other public and private entities.  We know the importance of gaining consensus and keeping the lines of communication open between all team members.  We have developed successful long-term relationships with many clients over the years and believe that the trust and partnerships that we value enhance the planning and design process.  Leading a team through the steps of prioritizing projects, establishing budgets and designing cost effective solutions, as well as coordinating the construction process to implement that vision, requires the communication skills that we have honed over our many years working with all types of clients. We are comfortable with very small to very large projects including renovations, new design and construction.
CDA prides itself in being able to see the possibility of what “can be” instead of “what is”.  Our own Community Design Alliance office occupies space that was literally no better than a shell of it’s former glory when we imagined it as our home.  Mike and Cindy had the vision to turn that existing space into a light filled architectural office that never fails to elicit positive comments from the many guests and clients that visit.  Our goal is to help each and every client, whether large or small, to see that same vision for themselves and their organization and to help them build an environment to house that dream for the future.
Mike and Cindy

Cindy and Mike Dingeldein

The CDA team.

“We must STOP being ‘consumers’ and start being ‘citizens’ of a shared effort to build our communities with obligations, responsibilities, and duties to our fellow human beings.”
– James Howard Kunstler