Over the last 20 years, the Enterprise Rose Fellows—a program of Enterprise Community Partners—have gained a deep understanding of the conditions that cause housing insecurity, poverty, and injustice by embedding themselves in the communities where they work. By using proven design processes, artistic practices, and community engagement principles, and committing to long-term collaborations with residents, they have drastically improved the quality of life in vulnerable communities. Simply put, they have changed lives. This collection of stories and intimate documentary photographs delivers lessons in how we can work together to improve the lives of our neighbors. On the US-Mexico border, in farm country, in Rust Belt cities, and in pockets of blight and abandonment, the examples show that architecture is about human relationships and shared ambitions, and how buildings can support and embody them.

Photographs by: Harry Connolly