Intent to Impact: Approaches to Community-Based Design

As we experience shifts in design practice and pedagogy, many of us find ourselves collectively questioning our approaches to work. While we may find ourselves committed to doing better and playing our part in building a world we wish to see, it remains difficult to gauge progress, especially with regards to social outcomes.

How can we practice community-based design in earnest and without causing harm? How can we make this meaningful work integral to all modes of practice, “traditional” or otherwise? How can design professionals honestly approach community engagement as an integral design tool? And how can designers assess the social impacts of their projects and establish lasting feedback loops—from intent to impact to applying lessons learned?

The second program of the AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP), “Intent to Impact: Approaches to Community-Based Design,” will bring together voices from Greater Good Studio, Open Architecture Collaborative, OLIN Labs, MIXdesign, and BlackSpace to highlight innovative approaches to community-based and inclusive design to explore how we can create practices rooted in equity and leverage community engagement as an integral design tool.

Leading the event from this year’s CLP cohort are Anne Chen, Brooke Dexter, Nasra Nimaga, Philip Poon, and Gwendolyn Stegall.

Speakers:
George Aye, Co-Founder and Director of Innovation, Greater Good Studio 
Seb Choe, Associate Director, MIXdesign 
Michael Miller, Associate, OLIN + OLIN Labs 
Shalini Agrawal, Director of Programs, Open Architecture Collaborative; Founder, Public Design for Equity 
Peter Robinson, Design & Education, BlackSpace; Founder, WorkUrban

About the AIANY Civic Leadership Program
The AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP) is designed to cultivate architectural professionals into civic leaders. Through a six-month mentorship and training program, ten designers develop skills to engage in the civic process. The CLP provides opportunities to interface with government officials, community development organizations, and local stakeholders through development sessions and public events. The program also provides opportunities to improve communication and public speaking skills and engage in community outreach and consensus building. AIA New York is excited to collaborate with nycoba|NOMA for this year’s program.

This event is offered virtually; you will receive an email with a Zoom link to access the program.