How Can Architects Design For Equality and Equity?
#sayhername #sayhisname #stopkillingus
Fannie Lou Hamer said it best, “I am sick and tired of feeling sick and tired”. Are you feeling the same way?
I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that I am traumatized by the events of the past month (and past years, decades, centuries... to be honest). We are all deeply affected and in need of healing. Will this be the year that begins our path to a more equitable and peaceful coexistence? Are enough people disgusted and enraged yet? Are enough people sick and tired yet?
2020 seems to be dead set on being a year of purging and transformation. Whether we like it or not, whether we’re prepared or not. Escalating (and documented) racial violence, COVID-19, giant locusts, murder hornets, extreme weather, the fragility of our economy laid bare… Humanity is being forced to reckon with itself and no longer ignore the societal ills allowed to fester for so long. We’re being called to purge ourselves of the evil of oppression, acknowledge responsibility, and commit to repairing our communities.
Architects, Designers, Engineers, Builders, how do you imagine our world after this purge? We’ve seen ideas about how architecture and design might address a post-COVID reality and solutions for sustainable and regenerative buildings. How does the built environment address inequality and inequity in our society? How we build our environment can’t solve all of our problems but it’s a way for us to use our talents to help put an end to the ugliness and harm that inequity causes.
If you don’t think that our built environment has a direct effect on social inequality, I ask you to read this Architect Magazine article featuring Rosa Sheng called “Does Design Perpetuate Injustice?” and let me know if it helps to broaden your view a bit.
If you’re wondering how you can create a more equitable and equal society as a built environment professional, just #beBrave. Follow the action items in the acronym B.R.A.V.E. from the NOMA Public Statement Regarding Racial Injustice. B = banish racism, R = reach out to those grieving, A = advocate for the disinherited, V = vote in every election, E = engage each human as you would want to be engaged. How are you implementing these actions in your firm and in your projects? How do you use, or want to use, design to banish racism?
An excellent way to be an ally is to share the stories of black architects. You don’t need a huge following, just the act of sharing what platform you have and making space for others creates an impact. I love what the Noir Design Parti project by Saundra Little and Karen Davis Burton is doing to document and tell the story of Detroit’s black architects, and their design influence on the physical identity of Detroit. Follow their work and others and help shine a light on not only what they’re doing but the stories they are sharing.
Above all, educate yourself. This reading list will help: 5 essential books to read on making cities anti-racist
For further exploration into the connections between the built environment and social inequality as well as opportunities to donate or volunteer, click the links below: