Projects incorporating public interest design focus on the general good of the local citizens with a fundamentally collaborative perspective.
[7] CDCs, which were often established with the support of area universities,[8] provided a variety of design services – such as affordable housing - within their own neighborhoods.
In architecture schools, “design/build programs” provided outreach to meet local design needs, particularly in low-income and underserved areas.
[12] Mockbee and Ruth expressed their understanding of the communities through their architectural designs; the visuals and functionality address the needs of the citizens.
"[2] Speaking at the conference, Rural Studio co-founder Samuel Mockbee challenged attendees to serve a greater segment of the population: “I believe most of us would agree that American architecture today exists primarily within a thin band of elite social and economic conditions[24]...in creating architecture, and ultimately community, it should make no difference which economic or social type is served, as long as the status quo of the actual world is transformed by an imagination that creates a proper harmony for both the affluent and the disadvantaged.
In 2010, Andres Lipek of the Museum of Modern Art in New York curated an exhibit, called “Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement.
The SEED Network established a common set of five principles and criteria for practitioners of public interest design.
[28][non-primary source needed] Taking on the name Worldchanging in 2011, the network is an open-source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design.
In 2012, IDEO.org, with the support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, launched HCD Connect, a network for social sector leaders committed to human-centered design.
In this context, human-centered design begins with the end-user of a product, place, or system — taking into account their needs, behaviors and desires.