What constitutes community engagement and why should architects, designers, planners, and developers strive to make it part of projects at all scales? This panel discussion brings together four different perspectives from around the country to delve into what successful community engagement processes can look like and how to make them a part of standard practice. The program will focus on building coalitions, adhering to principles of transparency and inclusion, and understanding historic racial contexts, all while acknowledging that each project is different, has different stakeholders, and different measures of success.
Community-based design is a term that far too often elicits groans from owners, architects, and community members alike. It is often seen as an antagonistic forum through which owners offer up additional services that hurt the bottom line, architects lose control over their creative freedom, and community members are offered empty promises of an improved project.
What if these assumptions were all wrong and community-based design, when implemented well, could be a driver for better design with more equitable benefits for developers and residents alike, all while improving the neighborhood where a project is located?
Organized by
AIANY Committee on the Environment
