Manuel Cordero Alvarado

Manuel Cordero is a designer, advocate and educator with an interest in expanding the audience and participation in the planning and design of public spaces. He is a licensed architect in Rhode Island with several years of experience in large-scale institutional projects, with a focus on educational and community planning projects. In 2020, he founded CIVIC, a multidisciplinary design firm working to reimagine our public places and shared spaces to be healthier, safer, more accessible and joyful.
 
Manuel is the co-founder of DownCity Design, a nonprofit design organization dedicated to improving civic life while offering inquiry-based, experiential learning opportunities. He enjoys sharing his passion for design with students of all ages, including high school and middle school students, via DownCity Design and as an adjunct faculty member at RISD. His practice, research and teaching have recently focused on the role and efficacy of participatory engagement practices in public placemaking and urban infrastructural systems. 
 
Manuel previously worked at the School Building Authority (SBA) at the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), where he helped to build a nationally recognized school construction program and launch a “once in a lifetime” state investment in public school facilities. In this role, he oversaw more than $1 billion in school construction investments and ensured cost-effective, sustainable construction aligned with 21st-century teaching and learning.
 
An active member of the Providence community, Manuel has served on the boards of several local nonprofits and currently chairs the Providence Redevelopment Authority Board. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and earned a MArch degree from the University of California, Berkeley.