Beyond The Built Environment

The role of architects in community life has been rendered largely irrelevant as the profession has historically been, and continues to be, an exclusive resource serving primarily wealthy patrons. Such exclusivity fosters and perpetuates great inequity in the built environment - inequities which more adversely affect communities of color. In 1968, activist Whitney Young sharply rebuked the profession by stating "You are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights… You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence and your complete irrelevance". My belief is that strong and healthy communities, rich in diversity make strong nations. As architects, we have the power to represent more than ourselves and representation is quintessential to achieving equitable diversity. Beyond the Built Environment uniquely address the inequitable disparities in architecture by providing a holistic platform aimed to support numerous stages of the architecture pipeline. We promote agency among diverse audiences and advocate for equity in the built environment through our approach which utilizes a method I termed "the triple E, C". The triple E, C method is a strategy to: Engage, Elevate, Educate, and Collaborate. We engage diverse audiences through programming promoting intellectual discourse and exchange to better achieve a just and equitable built environment. We elevate the identities and contributions of minority architects and designers through exhibitions, curated lectures, and documentaries that testify to the provided value of their built work and its spatial impact. We educate the masses through formal and informal learning opportunities that introduce architecture as a bridge to fill the gaps of inequity. We collaborate with community stakeholders and organizations to crowdsource information and amplify opportunities to advocate for equitable and reflectively diverse environments.