Strengthening Our Civic + Community Practice

Hanbury’s Civic + Community practice has gained significant momentum in recent years, with projects ranging from Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach to the vision for the Virginia African American Cultural Center and the recently completed sPARK LS Campus. The practice is emerging as a significant presence in designing civic places grounded in meaningful connections to place and community.

Building on this trajectory, Hanbury has welcomed P. Christian Bailey as Principal and Civic + Community Market Leader, and Mitch Crowder as Principal, each bringing distinct experience and a shared belief in design as a communal act, shaped with, not simply for, the people it serves.

For Christian Bailey, the motivation to design civic places is deeply personal. “I think it comes from growing up in places where community was at the heart of daily life - where you’d wave to your neighbors, walk everywhere, and spend your evenings outside on the porch,” he reflects. “Later, I also lived in places where those connections weren’t as easy, and I really felt the difference.”

That contrast instilled a lifelong commitment to design that prioritizes connection. A co-founder of ODA and former Director at Morris Adjmi Architects, Bailey has led projects across housing, hospitality, and civic design. His work on projects like The Wharf at Parcel 8 in Washington, D.C., exemplifies his approach: a vibrant mixed-use development that blurs the boundaries of inside and out, weaving nature into the urban fabric while encouraging activity at every level.

“What made it special was the way we listened, closely and consistently, to stakeholders and neighbors,” he recalls. “The best projects grow from collaboration. Good design isn’t something you bring to a place, it’s something you build with the people who call it home.”

Mitch Crowder brings a perspective shaped by varied experience. “I’ve lived in a lot of different places and worked on all kinds of projects, and that’s shaped how I see design. I really believe the best architecture is rooted in its community. It’s the people, the dynamics, the quirks that make a project exciting and meaningful,” he says. 

A Harvard GSD graduate with nearly two decades of practice, Crowder has directed large teams on institutional, higher education, residential, and hospitality projects. He is recognized for his ability to unite conceptual vision with technical execution. “I have this slightly annoying ability to constantly see the full picture, from the big moves down to the smallest details,” he explains. “Whether it is design, coordination, or team dynamics, my mind is always running, which helps me understand how the Civic + Community team can function both as a studio and as part of the larger firm.”

For Crowder, the attraction to Hanbury was its culture. “Being employee-owned and clearly investing in its people really stood out to me. I also liked that the firm has multiple offices but truly works as one. It really does feel that way, like I’m part of a larger team with shared goals and values.”

The addition of Bailey and Crowder marks a deliberate step forward for Hanbury’s Civic + Community practice, expanding its capacity to shape places where culture and daily life converge. Their expertise strengthens a team already delivering projects of civic and cultural significance, while their shared emphasis on mentorship and collaboration ensures that the practice continues to evolve with both rigor and humanity.

As Hanbury’s Civic + Community practice enters this next chapter, it does so with renewed energy and focus, continuing to design civic spaces with an acute understanding of today’s needs and optimism for tomorrow’s possibilities.