Archinect - Features

'Leadership Is Not Linear': A Conversation with Mary Anne Alabanza Akers, the New Dean of Cal Poly Pomona's College of Environmental Design

2023-03-27T10:00:00-04:00

The fabric of architectural academia is changing. As leadership turnover is more apparent than ever before, I wondered if the demands of an academic leader have outgrown the stereotypical "profile" of what qualifies a dean or department chair. Is there room for deans to lead and make changes beyond their bureaucratic administrative duties? How much experience is enough experience to be "qualified to lead?"

I discussed these questions when I got the opportunity to connect with Cal Poly Pomona's new dean for their College of Environmental Design, Mary Anne Alabanza Akers. She joins the institution after heading Morgan State University's School of Architecture + Planning as its dean for 14 years. Not only has Akers served at a prominent HBCU — she was also its founding dean.

During our conversation, for our latest Deans List series, we unpacked her childhood in the Philippines, her journey to attending school and working in the United States, her commitment to academia, and what it m...

As the City Grows, Bridging Manila's Bay Could Ease Population Strain

2016-10-21T12:28:00-04:00

Affordable housing, decent commute times, and an exploding population don't seem to have much in common until one considers the proposed "Journey by the Bay," a combined highway and high-speed rail backbone to bridge the Manila Bay.

Untangling Manila's Infrastructural Mess With a Web of Aerial "Capsules"

2016-10-20T12:15:00-04:00

Manila, the capital of the Philippines and its second-largest city, is beset by heavy traffic, public health problems, homelessness, pollution, water sanitation issues, and a growing number of informal developments. According to Jonathan Gayomali, this is due, in part, to its underdeveloped infrastructure.