Advocacy, Agency and Architecture: Beyond Participatory Design

THIS IS AN AIA NY EVENT, held only at the Center For Architecture. The event will be recorded, but not presented live online. To attend, you must RSVP with the AIA NY directly.

In the upcoming public event series, “Advocacy and Agency in Architecture,” we will explore how the current modalities of architectural education and practice, both internally and externally, have the potential for architects to act as advocates and agents for change within our field and their greater community. We will collectively discuss how we can give a voice to those who have none, how we as architects in our practices can be a voice for just and fair working conditions, and how a new generation of architects can be taught to develop a voice that speaks for others and themselves through new educational models.
For this introductory event, we invite guest panelists to share experiences from their respective design practices, specifically looking at projects and processes of participatory design and moving beyond that model. The discussion will touch on topics such as:

• What does it mean for Architects to move beyond the existing model of participatory design?
• How can we as practitioners integrate stakeholders into planning and development processes?
• What does a comprehensive design process, beyond just pre-design, that is inclusive of the community look like?
• How do stakeholders and community members become integral team members through the life of a project?

We aim for participants in this event to walk away with ideas inspiring examples of how others are changing the landscape of practice and how they may integrate some of what is discussed as concrete ideas into their own practice.

Panelists include:
Christine Gaspar – Lifelong educator and advocate, most recently Executive Director of Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP).
Alexa Gonzalez – Principal & Co-Founder, Hive Public Space, an urban design and placemaking/placekeeping studio based in New York City.
Moderator:
Melissa Marsh – Founder & CEO of PLASTARC, a consulting practice focused on shifting the metrics of design to a more human-centric purpose.
Cheriyah Wilmot, BARCH Honor Student, NYC College of Technology; President, NOMASNYCCT