This post is the first in a series where we’ll be exploring how design is influencing the products we buy, how we interact with each other and changing the way we live. If you know of a person or company doing cool stuff with design, let us know so we can include them in the series.

In 1936, in an effort to provide low-cost housing to some of the nation’s poorest families, the United States government got into the business of building homes.  A quick survey of public housing projects from this era reveals that the design was not intended to encourage social activity among its tenants, allow for interaction with the natural world, or foster a sense of community. Rather, the projects were insular, prison-like units that over the years became synonymous with terrible living conditions and rampant crime.

Recent movements in architecture are changing that. In April of 2007, Seattle’s High Point housing project debuted to much acclaim. The project replaced a dingy, World War II era public housing project with a mix of 1,600 market-rate and subsidized homes. The homes were designed to integrate with the surrounding neighborhood and to be part of a community. With their brightly-colored exteriors and front porches that face the street, the houses purposefully create common spaces where neighbors naturally meet and mingle. And with energy-conserving interior design and appliances, as well as a natural drainage system, the development is extremely environmentally friendly. High Point’s award-winning take on urban planning has helped spark a new, positive trend in designing for lower and mixed income families.

It’s not just public housing projects that are benefiting from the shift to a more eco-friendly, community-centric design. Companies around the globe are giving more thought to the lives of their employees as they consider the design of new office buildings. In Melbourne, Australia, the recently built Council House 2 (CH2) provides bike racks and employee locker rooms. These features encourage the more than 500 City of Melbourne employees who work in the office to use their bikes as transit, which is better for both their health and the environment. Artwork from local artists is also an integral part of the building’s design, further connecting the building to its community.

Described by its planners as one of the most sustainable buildings in the world, CH2 boasts a low-energy cooling system, roof-mounted wind turbines and an on-site water recycling plant. The City of Melbourne’s Lord Mayor John So states, "CH2’s design uses ideas inspired by nature to create a building that operates in harmony with the wind and the sun." It’s so green that apparently several tree frogs have moved in to the building’s potted plants, allowing city workers to commune with nature in a small, unexpected way.

Projects like High Point and CH2 are leading the way, and groups like Architecture for Humanity are pushing the boundaries of what building design can do for social change. Architecture has always played a defining role in where we work and live. Now it’s also shaping how we exist and interact in these spaces.