About
City Fabrick is a nonprofit design studio restoring, reshaping, and empowering communities through public interest design, planning, policy development, and advocacy.
Initiatives
We strive to create an equitable world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. City Fabrick is a mission-driven organization dedicated to public interest work that improves the health and well-being of our communities. Our work weaves together the multifaceted aspects of community building to craft comprehensive solutions that leverages assets and opportunities to address our social challenges on local and system-wide scales. City Fabrick collaborates with partners to engage in the following spaces:
Everyone Home
Great Parks and Places
Inclusive Economies
Moving People
Resilient Neighborhoods
Cultural Landscapes
Thriving Communities
Timeline
2004
Brian Ulaszewski sees an opportunity to transform a dangerous intersection into a park on his morning
walk to the office, leading to the eventual design of Gumbiner Park and sparking his inspiration for
design as advocacy.
walk to the office, leading to the eventual design of Gumbiner Park and sparking his inspiration for
design as advocacy.
2009
With growing effort dedicated to community design, advocacy, and writing, Brian and founding board members saw the opportunity to align this work within what would become City Fabrick.
2011
City Fabrick was established with a Board of Directors including Nancy Pfeffer, Georgia Case, Chris Lewis, Meg Beatrice, and Brian Ulaszewski, with Steve Gerhardt as an advisor to the board.
2012
Brian Ulaszewski along with designer and community advocate Baktaash Sorkhabi become the founding City Fabrick employees through a grant provided by The California Endowment through their Building Healthy Communities Initiative. The Endowment continues to support City Fabrick today.
Park(d) Plaza is designed as a tactical urbanism installation demonstrated the land area allocated for parking cars versus for public open space, with infographics painted into the temporary plaza.
Walk Long Beach launches as a collaboration between City Fabrick, YMCA of Greater Long Beach, and Long Beach Health and Human Services.
Park(d) Plaza is designed as a tactical urbanism installation demonstrated the land area allocated for parking cars versus for public open space, with infographics painted into the temporary plaza.
Walk Long Beach launches as a collaboration between City Fabrick, YMCA of Greater Long Beach, and Long Beach Health and Human Services.
2013
The American Planning Association – Los Angeles recognizes Brian with the John Chase Visionary Award for his contributions in urban design, writing, architecture, and planning.
In collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism City Fabrick develops the plan for reimagining Shoreline Drive, a proposal to replace the spur of the I-710 Freeway with a multimodal boulevard.
City Fabrick collaborates with community partners to develop a community vision to establish a large greenbelt to buffer the West Long Beach community from industrial and freight uses to the west.
In collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism City Fabrick develops the plan for reimagining Shoreline Drive, a proposal to replace the spur of the I-710 Freeway with a multimodal boulevard.
City Fabrick collaborates with community partners to develop a community vision to establish a large greenbelt to buffer the West Long Beach community from industrial and freight uses to the west.
2014
City Fabrick partners with Streestblog to relaunch the local website Longbeachize as a news and advocacy platform to share the unique people, places, and perspectives of Long Beach.
Working with Long Beach Health and Human Services along with multiple other City departments, City Fabrick develops the award-winning CX3 Pedestrian Plan focusing on promoting healthy choices.
Collaborating with community partners, the first Peoples Planning School is launched at MLK Jr. Park in Long Beach, providing residents the 101 of planning and policy making.
Working with Long Beach Health and Human Services along with multiple other City departments, City Fabrick develops the award-winning CX3 Pedestrian Plan focusing on promoting healthy choices.
Collaborating with community partners, the first Peoples Planning School is launched at MLK Jr. Park in Long Beach, providing residents the 101 of planning and policy making.
2015
City Fabrick launches first collaboration with Century Housing to update the development master plan for the Villages at Cabrillo, and eventually specific plan and LEED – Neighborhood Development.
Long Beach City Council adopts the Green TI Plan – the community vision for replacing the Terminal Island Freeway with a mile long greenbelt, a core element of City Fabrick’s work in West Long Beach.
City Fabrick designs the adaptive reuse of 4th /Olive in Downtown Long Beach, the first of numerous collaborations to support small businesses and reimagine new lives for old buildings.
Long Beach City Council adopts the Green TI Plan – the community vision for replacing the Terminal Island Freeway with a mile long greenbelt, a core element of City Fabrick’s work in West Long Beach.
City Fabrick designs the adaptive reuse of 4th /Olive in Downtown Long Beach, the first of numerous collaborations to support small businesses and reimagine new lives for old buildings.
2016
First office Expansion as the original team expands to four.
Knight Foundation awards City Fabrick a Cities Challenge grant for Placemake the Vote to activate poling sites with programming and tactical urbanism installations during the General Election.
City Fabrick expands work into Santa Ana with La Placita Cinco, converting an auto-oriented stripmall into a mixed-use neighborhood serving center.
Knight Foundation awards City Fabrick a Cities Challenge grant for Placemake the Vote to activate poling sites with programming and tactical urbanism installations during the General Election.
City Fabrick expands work into Santa Ana with La Placita Cinco, converting an auto-oriented stripmall into a mixed-use neighborhood serving center.
2017
City Fabrick designs the first Steelcraft, one of the early incarnations for developing outdoor food communities by reusing steel shipping containers.
Gumbiner Park opens, replacing the most dangerous intersection in Long Beach with an acre of public open space in one of the most park poor neighborhoods in the city.
City Fabrick named an Emerging Planning & Design Firm by the American Planning Association - California.
Gumbiner Park opens, replacing the most dangerous intersection in Long Beach with an acre of public open space in one of the most park poor neighborhoods in the city.
City Fabrick named an Emerging Planning & Design Firm by the American Planning Association - California.
2018
City Fabrick begins work on two master plans for redeveloping Rancho San Pedro and the West Los Angeles Veterans community on the VA campus in West Los Angeles.
Working with the Villages at Cabrillo and Long Beach Transit, West Long Beach routes are extended into the neighborhood to a new multimodal transit center, anchored by the reinvigorated social hall.
Multiple collaborations with Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine large and small launches City Fabrick landscape design body of work.
Working with the Villages at Cabrillo and Long Beach Transit, West Long Beach routes are extended into the neighborhood to a new multimodal transit center, anchored by the reinvigorated social hall.
Multiple collaborations with Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine large and small launches City Fabrick landscape design body of work.
2019
Second Office Expansion as the team doubles in size.
A coalition of community partners including City Fabrick launches Cambodia Town Thrives to leveraging grassroots planning to practice self-determination in the face of displacement and new zoning codes.
City Fabrick builds Linc Housing’s rebrand in time to celebrate their 35 th anniversary.
A coalition of community partners including City Fabrick launches Cambodia Town Thrives to leveraging grassroots planning to practice self-determination in the face of displacement and new zoning codes.
City Fabrick builds Linc Housing’s rebrand in time to celebrate their 35 th anniversary.
2020
City Fabrick pivots into a pandemic response supporting local public service announcement campaigns, workforce development, food security, and small businesses with free design services.
This included supporting business districts and neighborhoods to reimagine streets as places for people to safely recreate, socialize, and commerce, with support from the Long Beach Community Foundation.
With over six hundred units in design or construction City Fabrick substantially expands work into affordable housing beyond planning and policy, providing interior, landscape, and building design services to partners.
This included supporting business districts and neighborhoods to reimagine streets as places for people to safely recreate, socialize, and commerce, with support from the Long Beach Community Foundation.
With over six hundred units in design or construction City Fabrick substantially expands work into affordable housing beyond planning and policy, providing interior, landscape, and building design services to partners.
2021
La Placita Cinco and Casa Querencia open, City Fabrick designed over 100 new affordable homes with Community Development Partners and Magis Realty for residents of Santa Ana.
The West Los Angeles Community Plan, Cambodia Town Thrives Vision Plan, and La Placita Cinco win awards from the American Planning Association – California. La Placita Cinco also takes home gold from the American Institute of Architects and Urban Land Institute.
City Fabrick works with Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine to update their strategic plan, centering equity for the next ten years of their operations.
The West Los Angeles Community Plan, Cambodia Town Thrives Vision Plan, and La Placita Cinco win awards from the American Planning Association – California. La Placita Cinco also takes home gold from the American Institute of Architects and Urban Land Institute.
City Fabrick works with Long Beach Parks, Recreation, and Marine to update their strategic plan, centering equity for the next ten years of their operations.
2022
Collaborations with Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Southern California Association of Governments, and the City of Santa Monica expand our work in transportation.
City Fabrick collaborates with the LGBTQ Center Long Beach to reimagine their 4th Street location as a community center, while planning a second, wellness center elsewhere in the city
.City Fabrick builds internal structure by establishing teams for Landscape Architecture, Building and Interior Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, and Graphic Design led by Mina Emamifar, Eric Gomez, Alex Jung, and Baktaash Sorkhabi respectively.
City Fabrick collaborates with the LGBTQ Center Long Beach to reimagine their 4th Street location as a community center, while planning a second, wellness center elsewhere in the city
.City Fabrick builds internal structure by establishing teams for Landscape Architecture, Building and Interior Architecture, Urban Design and Planning, and Graphic Design led by Mina Emamifar, Eric Gomez, Alex Jung, and Baktaash Sorkhabi respectively.
2023
Massive ground breaking for developing nearly 500 permanent supportive homes at the West Los Angeles Veteran campus, implementing substantial parts of the Community Plan.
The City of Long Beach is awarded $30M from US Department of Transportation to replace Shoreline Drive with a boulevard and over 20 acres of new park space.
Relocates into our new home as the team doubles yet again, with more space for interns and collaborators.
The City of Long Beach is awarded $30M from US Department of Transportation to replace Shoreline Drive with a boulevard and over 20 acres of new park space.
Relocates into our new home as the team doubles yet again, with more space for interns and collaborators.
