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The American Planning Association (APA) has released a policy guide titled ‘Equity in Zoning’ which advocates for planning-led zoning reforms that can dismantle discriminatory barriers. The 53-page guide addresses zoning across local, state, and federal levels and “prioritizes reversing and... View full entry
An NCARB/NOMA investigation has found that people of color, especially African Americans, are more likely to report issues with their architecture firm’s culture. The Firm Culture & Career Development Report is the latest analysis articulating the results of the joint NCARB/NOMA Baseline on... View full entry
In June 2020, we conducted an interview with Princeton University School of Architecture Dean Mónica Ponce de León on the future of architectural licensure. Ponce de León’s perspective, which generated 90 comments from our readers, centered on disparities in licensure success along racial and... View full entry
Chicago has unveiled a draft of its first citywide framework plan since 1966, charting how the city intends to become more equitable and resilient. The plan, titled We Will Chicago, is led by neighborhood stakeholders, artists, community partners, and city agencies. Having launched in 2020, the... View full entry
Buro Happold and urban design nonprofit Hester Street have announced a partnership with the New York City Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice to establish an environmental justice report and online data portal that will identify the locations across the city where policies... View full entry
Barack Obama was greeted by a packed house at the close of the Friday session of this year’s A’22 Conference in his adopted hometown of Chicago. Speaking to the capacity audience in a Q&A hosted by new AIA President Dan Hart, the two-term former U.S. President used his platform to touch... View full entry
A new report by NCARB and NOMA has found that women, particularly Black or African American women, face heavier challenges in architectural education than their male counterparts. As a result, more than half of Black or African American women surveyed state that they have considered a different... View full entry
The Architects Foundation has announced the launch of the Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) ARE Scholarship, providing support for aspiring Black architects within the licensing process. Through the scholarship, the organization is aiming to double the number of licensed Black architects in the... View full entry
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) have released a report focused on disparities in architectural licensing examination. Titled Baseline on Belonging: Examination Report, the study seeks to explore factors... View full entry
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has, for the first time, published data on Architect Registration Examination (ARE) pass rates that are broken down by demographics. The statistics show that white candidates are more likely to pass the ARE than candidates of color... View full entry
On today’s episode of Archinect Sessions Donna and I are joined by Karen Compton, a Los Angeles-based business consultant, business owner and podcast host. As the Principal at A3K Consulting, Karen oversees a team of professionals to help clients in the AEC industry grow and improve... View full entry
Shade is often understood as a luxury amenity, lending calm to courtyards and tree-lined boulevards, cooling and obscuring jewel boxes and glass cubes. But as deadly, hundred-degree heatwaves become commonplace, we have to learn to see shade as a civic resource that is shared by all. In the shade, overheated bodies return to equilibrium. [...] Shade is thus an index of inequality, a requirement for public health, and a mandate for urban planners and designers. — Places Journal
In this longform piece, writer Sam Bloch delves into the history of how shade has served as an index of inequality in the urban design of Los Angeles, and how the city (and perhaps other locations) should learn to consider shade as an important public health requirement. “People living in poor... View full entry
But instead of shying away from some of the challenges this type of work poses, the students decided to publish the results of the survey as-is, and highlight its flaws. They decided not to draw any particular conclusions from the data, and instead hope to use the exhibit as a conversation starter. “A large part of the exhibit was trying to get a more nuanced idea of sexism. Not just sexual harassment, but other sorts of derailing that occurs within architecture schools.” — Curbed
Two weeks ago, somebody untied Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s $40 million yacht from its mooring. It got me thinking about another opulent display of wealth owned by DeVos: her 22,000-square-foot nautical-themed summer mansion, located in Holland, Michigan. Just a few more years of climate change and it’ll be floating too. — vox.com
Kate Wagner critiques Betsy DeVos’s Michigan summer mansion on her humor blog McMansion Hell. Wagner unpacks not only the architectural design but also the greater social implications of why the education secretary's McMansion is so horrendous. The essay is dedicated to "all of the public... View full entry
Achieving pay equity is a foundational act of building an environment in which creativity can flourish. Taking the first step toward equality via pay empowers us to move forward, together, to address the more complex challenges that await. Comprehensive, math-based tools are available to assess the problem. Let’s put them to work. Follow the money (or lack thereof), and fix pay inequity now. — fastcodesign.com
Jeanne Gang's firm Studio Gang recently scrutinized their office for any existing pay gap. She explains that despite their prioritization of equality there was in fact a small gender pay gap in their office. Using her own practice as an example, Gang urges every architecture studio to go through... View full entry
