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Expanding Architecture Design As Activism

• Written by Andrew Rosenberg
• Published on January 09, 2011

Edited: Bryan Bell , Katie Wakeford First Edition: 2008 Language: English ISBN: 1933045787

“This is the Barack Obama of books. It tells a story about the change we need in the fields of architecture and urban design, professions that have lost their way, easily seduced by wealthy clients. And much like the presidential Democrat, this book of slightly radical ideas is attractively packaged in a way that can’t be easily dismissed. Editors Bryan Bell and Katie Wakeford have compiled 30 essays by leading architects and designers across the U.S. – all accompanied by gorgeous photography. Each focuses on issues of social justice and design, and most succeed in making a compelling case for architects, urban planners and landscape designers to stop whatever they’re doing and begin working for the greater public good…The authors’ earnest and passionate voices come through in almost every paragraph, making this book a heartfelt journey as much as an educational one.”

- Matthew Blackett, AZURE Magazine –AZURE Magazine November/December 2008

Full contents index and more photos after the break.

Foreword: Public-Interest Architecture: A Needed and Inevitable Change Thomas Fisher Fisher,

Preface: Expanding Design Toward Greater Relevance Bryan Bell Bell Bryan

Introduction: An Architecture of Change Jose L. S. Gamez Gamez, Jose L. S. Susan Rogers Rogers, Susan

Social, Economic, and Environmental Design:

The Architectural Bat-Signal: Exploring the Relationship between Justice and Design Barbara B. Wilson Wilson, Barbara B.

Toward a Humane Environment: Sustainable Design and Social Justice Lance Hosey Hosey, Lance

El Programa de Vivienda Ecologica: Building the Capacity of Yaqui Women to Help Themselves Sergio Palleroni Palleroni, Sergio Monica Escobedo Fuentes Fuentes, Monica Escobedo 42 Unbearable Lightness Deborah Gans Gans, Deborah

Participatory Design:

The Creek That Connects It All: Participatory Planning in a Taiwanese Mountain Village Chia-Ning Yang Yang, Chia-Ning Hsu-Jen Kao Kao, Hsu-Jen

Growing Urban Habitats: A Local Housing Crisis Spawns a New Design Center Katie Swenson Swenson, Katie

Traditions, Transformation, and Community Design: The Making of Two Ta’u Houses Jeffrey Hou Hou, Jeffrey

Claiming Public Space: The Case for Proactive, Democratic Design Peter Aeschbacher Aeschbacher, Peter Michael Rios Rios, Michael

Public-Interest Architecture:

Mobilizing Mainstream Professionals to Work for the Public Good John Peterson Peterson, John

The Community Design Collaborative: A Volunteer-Based Community Design Center Serving Greater Philadelphia Darl Rastorfer Rastorfer, Darl

Invisible Zagreb Damir Blazevic Blazevic, Damir

CityworksLosAngeles: Making Differences, Big orSmall Elizabeth Martin Martin, Elizabeth Leslie Thomas Thomas, Leslie

Asset-Based Approaches:

Designing with an Asset-Based Approach Amanda Hendler-Voss Hendler-Voss, Amanda Seth Hendler-Voss Hendler-Voss, Seth

Communication through Inquiry Sean Donahue Donahue, Sean

Designing Infrastructure/Designing Cities Ryan Gravel Gravel, Ryan

Housing for the 98%:

Mainstreaming Good Design in Affordable Housing: Strategies, Obstacles, and Benefits Kathleen Dorgan Dorgan, Kathleen Deane Evans Evans, Deane

Architectural Alchemy Eric Naslund Naslund, Eric John Sheehan Sheehan, John

Competition, Collaboration, and Construction with Habitat for Humanity Erik Van Mehlman Van Mehlman, Erik

Architecture and Social Change: The Struggle for Affordable Housing in Oakland’s Uptown Project Alex Salazar Salazar, Alex

Prefabricating Affordability:

Migrant Housing Laura Shipman Shipman, Laura

Market Modular Gregory Herman Herman, Gregory

ecoMOD: Exploring Social and Environmental Justice through Prefabrication John Quale Quale, John

Out of the Box: Design Innovations in Manufactured Housing Roberta M. Feldman Feldman, Roberta M.

Meshing with Market Forces:

Finding Balance: How to Be an Architect, an Environmentalist, and a Developer Russell Katz Katz, Russell

Propositions for a New Suburbanism Gail Peter Borden Borden, Gail Peter

Archepreneurs Chris Krager Krager, Chris

The Transformative Power of Architectural Education:

Building Consensus in Design/Build Studios Steve Badanes Badanes, Steve

Teaching Cooperation Amanda Schachter Schachter, Amanda

Enhancing Family and Community through Interdisciplinary Design Samina Quraeshi Quraeshi, Samina

Building Sustainable Communities and Building Citizens Sergio Palleroni Palleroni, Sergio

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An Analysis of The Influence Of Design Activism and Socially Responsible Design Approaches on Design Education

DESCRIPTION Emergence of the new social, political and environmental paradigms in the recent decades empowered design activism and socially responsible design approaches. Similarly there is an increase in the related academic studies and the practical applications of these approaches especially in the developed countries. The objective of this article is to explore the influences of design activism and socially responsible design approaches on the design education and to observe the common grounds of the programs that consider these approaches in their curriculum. The focus of the study is limited to the review of the second cycle design programs in pioneering institutions of the Western countries where these approaches originated. A comprehensive literature review has been conducted in the design education field about design activism and socially responsible design. Relevant academic programs have been reviewed. The review indicates that design education has some deficiency in term...

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The present paper intends to present the early stage on a bigger attempt to discuss design education and its role in a paradigm shift moment, pointing the need to change how designers think and learn to face wicked problems in a more complex society. New active methodologies will be considered in order to promote a teaching-learning process that reinforces the construction of new competencies, which increases students' perception of the reality that surrounds them and makes them evident the impact of design processes and solutions. This conceptual broadening will make them more socially responsible agents, aware of the importance of their civic action and active role towards innovation, social wellbeing, and Sustainability.

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Sustainability

Emma Dewberry

Sustainable and Responsible Design (SRD) harnesses design’s potential to address eco-social problems and in doing so challenge the status quo of design education by reframing the social and ecological consequences, boundaries and agencies of design. This critical and transdisciplinary approach frays the edges of traditional design disciplines with embedded and reflexive modes of learning. We describe characteristics of SRD education and present theories of learning to empower students in this complex terrain. The learning associated with SRD education is ecologically engaged, participative, critical, expansive and designerly. We recount case studies of our own experiences advancing sustainable and responsible undergraduate design education in the UK. We identify path constraints such as disciplinary fragility, appropriation, and power dynamics in the design school. The push for a revision of priorities generates tensions where there is often greenwashing rhetoric of sustainability a...

Brian DeLevie

Design programs educate students not just in theoretical aspects of design but in its professional practice and ways to use the skills afforded by their professions to be more competitive, corporate, and exploitative. Many design programs are also centering curriculums on using design as means for systemic change through educating their students on ways to create practices that stem from the concept of being a good “design citizen” – that is, a designer who uses professional practice and the skills afforded by their professions to be inclusive, powerful and cooperative. Using Design Activism as a central tenet makes pedagogical sense as it empowers, directs and engages students on a level well beyond themselves and their “connected” lives. It encompasses a wide range of real-life, business, social and environmental engaged actions. Additionally, it includes processes that innovate forms of creative practice, providing branding models by which designers might work, or challenge exist...

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Social innovation involves the convergence of human involvement and contemporary society, positioning design practice as a co-creative trajectory towards implementing significant and meaningful change. The social innovation concept has expanded the scope of design's role in society by means of fostering transparency and community involvement to produce contributions extending beyond the individual designer to impact culture and society. This humanistic perspective leads to questions of how design education should adapt and change to enhance the implications of socially conscious design and the designer's position as social leader. Through a discussion of participatory and co-creative design, this paper attempts to identify how design education can respond to social needs through innovative solutions for social change. This paper reviews the experiential processes of design activities through a series of case-studies to evaluate the impact of introducing the social innovation agenda as part of the design curriculum through collaborative and collective projects. Theme: Innovation.

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The multiple environmental and socioeconomic challenges confronting humanity today, and a contemporary context that presents the promise of perpetual connectivity and accelerated patterns in information consumption and creation, represent powerful global forces that are shaping the way we live, work and learn. Such pressures and opportunities on an international scale are affecting design education in significant ways, creating an unprecedented need to deliver knowledge, experience and sophistication upon a global playing field. The college-wide initiative Designmatters at Art Center College of Design advocates for applied research approaches to complex humanitarian issues and provides unique methodologies for creative reform and change, empowering a new generation of designers to imagine critical solutions for society’s future well-being.

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Harvard/MIT panel examines the role of the activist architect

What is the architecture of democracy? How do buildings — and their designers — help shape who we are, and who we want to be? This existential question provided fodder for “The Architecture of Democracy,” 90 minutes of heady online conversation Wednesday night, as academics and architects affiliated with MIT and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) gathered virtually to examine their roles in liberal representative democracy days before the U.S. presidential election.

Moderated by Mark Lee , chair of the department of architecture and professor in practice of architecture, and Nicholas de Monchaux , head of MIT’s department of architecture, the conversation involved the GSD’s Assistant Professor of Architecture Michelle Chang , designer and lecturer Iman Fayyad , and Assistant Professor Yasmin Vobis . MIT was represented by architectural historian Azra Aksamija , founding director of the MIT Future Heritage Lab and an associate professor in the MIT program in art, culture, and technology; Huma Gupta , a Ph.D. candidate in the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture; and Rafi Segal , architect and associate professor of architecture and urbanism.

In his opening remarks, Lee referenced “the typical division between the production of architecture and the consumption of architecture.” This split, he pointed out, “raises the question of a pathway to democracy and the means of sustaining it.”

The conversation that followed ranged widely, exploring the topic from three main angles: the role of architecture in the public realm, the function of architecture departments and universities, and the individual responsibilities of architects and of teachers.

The first topic dominated the discussion. “Democracy is a spatial practice,” said Vobis, pointing out how architecture can potentially frame physical space. The 2016 winner of the Founders/Arnold W. Brunner/Katherine Edwards Gordon Rome Prize in Architecture, she used the example of Bryant Park, in New York, which became the site of Black Lives Matters protests after the death of George Floyd. Because such space is privately owned but used by the public, she said it raises questions such as, “Who owns the space, who is it for and when? Who is welcome to participate?”

“In some ways, the political concept of democracy is hard to translate into three dimensions,” Fayyad said. “Architecture is not a passive actor.” The design of buildings and the spaces around them can facilitate democratic thought and action, she said. “Many of our government buildings have public plazas, providing a space for people to face their leaders and voice their grievance.”

Not all open spaces encourage democracy, however. “Space has always to be read in context,” noted Segal “In certain societies, we don’t find a middle scale. We find gathering spaces on the domestic scale for the family, and then very large, massive squares.”

Some large places, like the plazas or squares used for military demonstrations, inhibit the formation of civilian groups. “The identity of a neighborhood helps the community form a political presence in the city, which then allows them to act,” he said. “There’s a correlation between spaces that we create in the city and the types of organization that have happened in those places.

“The shaping of the public realm, the space of democratic participation, is our contribution to society,” he said.

Panelists pointed out that buildings themselves can become actors in developing or inhibiting democracy. Chang, who taught at Rice University, recalled a campaign she had witnessed in Houston against a particular high-rise development in 2015. Rather than address the unspoken underlying issue — that a tall apartment building might bring a more diverse population into the affluent suburb — the campaign focused on demonizing the building itself, with signs that anthropomorphized the high-rise as a menacing enemy.

“The identity of a neighborhood helps the community form a political presence in the city, which then allows them to act. … The shaping of the public realm, the space of democratic participation, is our contribution to society.” Rafi Segal

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Noting that the signs reminded her of propaganda from 1920s Vienna, Chang said that although legal attempts to block the high-rise failed, it was never built, largely because of the community opposition. Asking the public to consider what gets built — and what gets shut down — in a democratic society, she posed the question: “How can the myriad publics who are invested in our built environment start to interact with the democratic systems that exist?”

Aksamija, who was born in Sarajevo, followed up on this theme by discussing the “architecture of defiance,” buildings intentionally constructed as protests, simply to occupy space, or left up in defiance of planned government takeovers or projects. Such “built forms,” she said, “perform as nonviolent actions.”

“Architecture based on its sheer presence and physicality offers tools for the oppressed in conflicts that might already have been lost,” she said.

Architecture also “gives form, visibility, and identity for minority groups,” she said. This can put buildings in the center of conflicts about diversity. She pointed both to the increase in gated communities and the rise in protests against mosques in this country since 2005. In the case of mosques, she explained, permits are often on the grounds of concerns about noise or parking, rather than Islamophobia. “How can they exercise their democratic rights to religious worship if these legal tools are deployed to prevent them?”

Self-reflection spurred the panelists to examine the role of the University, and themselves as teachers. “This is a question of what we teach, but also how we teach,” said Segal. “Do we teach students to be activists? I hope we teach students to engage.”

Citing “the incredible power of free time for thinking,” Chang noted that one way that teachers can give back to their students is to not overwork them.

Within their departments, the panelists said that efforts for diversity and inclusion must continue. Aksamija called for departments to not only rethink their hiring practices but also to invite guests and critics who can represent different viewpoints. “I’ve gone beyond my own zone of comfort and started reading things that I was not familiar with,” she noted.

De Monchaux brought the conversation back to “the spaces we ourselves create,” kicking off a discussion of the role of the individual. Gupta, who has worked on projects in Afghanistan and Syria, cited the dangerous work activist architects do by raising awareness. “While some of us have been unlearning our own histories, others have put their bodies on the line,” such as by speaking out about atrocities in Syria while working there, she said.

Gupta said individuals should use their profession for the public good. That very morning, she said, she had attended a Cambridge City Council meaning to lobby for an eviction moratorium. “I hope that even if some of us have been too busy with work, overwhelmed by the pandemic, or unsure of what it means to be an activist, we spend a portion of our lives being citizens who reshape the architecture and foundational myths of our democracy,” she said.

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Designing for Activism and Advocacy

“It was totally terrifying to be going back into the classroom. Everyone speaks the lingo and had all the verbiage down and could use all these fancy machines that I had no idea what they did. But, at the same time, I had experience that not everyone had. It has been an interesting balance for me to understand my role in the classroom,” says Martin.

After working with the United Nations and on the political campaigns for former President Barack Obama in 2012 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, Martin was ready for a “new direction.”  He says, “I had lost a lot of the drive and the creative energy that I had brought into the political world.” He wanted to combine his desire to bring about change, his background in cultural anthropology, and his creative interests. Design fit the bill. Martin challenged himself to think about the role of individuals and leaders and “how we as designers or activists can successfully engage folks on issues, whether that be around a policy issue, a campaign, or around a piece of art.”

Martin plans to use his experience at the border as part of his thesis, which will explore how design can be used to activate a constituency around certain issues. He also presented a multimedia performance at the CRDM Symposium, Dialog 2.0: Social Movement, Online Communication + Transformation , from March 28 to March 30 on NC State’s campus.

“As a designer and as an artist, I’m thinking constantly about ways that I could use design activism and advocacy to challenge people’s perceptions of the issue and to push for change in some way… I really want to push people to push themselves outside of their comfort zones,” —Saige Martin

Staci Kleinmaier is a professional writer and photographer in Apex, North Carolina. She uses words and images to tell stories. To see her work, visit  www.stacikleinmaier.com . 

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What is Inclusive Design Activism

Design and Activism: 

Design activism is the intersection of design and social activism. It includes the few commonalities that both design and activism have. Essentially, both design and activism are trying to solve problems. They both aim to create a better world and positively impact people. 

Think about any recent social movement; the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, for instance, aimed to highlight the systemic flaws of discrimination and racial inequality. It is a movement that fights to bring justice to people of colour so that they’re included and treated as equals in society. Social movements like these aim to eliminate the differences to create equal societies that include everyone and treat them alike. Every campaign essentially aims toward inclusion and creating an equitable, harmonious social environment. 

How to practice Activism as a Designer?

To practice Activism as a designer, one must start by identifying societal issues facilitated by or translated into the built environment . For instance, gender disparity is a crucial social issue that has affected several spheres of human existence. The built environment has the form of primary anthropometric considerations based on a masculine physique. Another example would be the bifurcation of public toilets as men’s and women’s, excluding non-binary people from the scope of review. One can come up with several such examples, that prove how common spaces of everyday use aren’t inclusive. 

For designers to work as activists, they must first understand problems from the user’s perspective. Getting to the root of the problem, learning about the experiences of a diverse group of people, and analyzing the flaws in design is the way to go. Inclusive Activism starts with the inclusion of people’s experiences and feedback. The inclusive design takes a bottom-up approach over a top-down approach. Activist designers need to shift away from user-centred design to human-centred design and expand their horizons toward inclusive methods. But, let’s first look at the true what all-inclusive design entails. 

Accessible, Universal, and Inclusive Design:

The terms accessible design, universal design , and inclusive design are often used interchangeably. However, they do not mean the same. Accessible design lies at the lowest end of the spectrum and refers to a design that is accessible to all. It takes into consideration the diverse forms of disabilities and creates spaces that can be used by everyone. 

Universal design, on the other hand, is collectively usable by all without having to create specialized spaces for the differently abled. It has broader applications than accessible design. Universal design ensures that the spaces are used to the greatest extent possible by all people without differentiation between the abled and disabled. 

The inclusive design takes a contradictory approach by putting disenfranchised and underrepresented people at the top of the dynamic. It strives to solve its problems first, creating holistic solutions that fit the needs of every culture, gender, colour, and identity.    

Inclusive Design Activism:

Inclusive design activism focuses on diversity and strives to create equality through design. It takes into consideration the people who were otherwise excluded from the systemic dynamic, identify their needs, and creates solutions that are a response to their needs. And, it does this not by highlighting the differences but by focusing on the similarities between humans. 

Inclusive design activism doesn’t just advocate the creation of inclusive designs; it aims to bring about real change in people’s experiences. It doesn’t stop at universal accessibility. Although the inclusive design movement started with the actions of disability activists, the modern movement is far more elaborate. It considers a much broader sect of people, defining them based on their gender, age, ethnicity, etc. 

Need for Inclusive Design Activism: 

David Berman, in his book The Design Activists’ Handbook : How to Change the World (Or at Least Your Part of It) with Socially Conscious Design, questions the role of designers in doing good for society, and why designers must put their best skills in use to create change. It addresses the uncomfortable aspects of human representation in everyday life and analyzes the designers’ role in promoting inequality. The book urges designers to think about the future of civilization as a common design project, and how they with their creativity and persuasiveness can trigger a change in society. 

There is a need for designers to acknowledge the plural nature of humans and create barrier-free spaces that welcome all. The design of built spaces should aim to eliminate discrimination from society by understanding and targeting the loopholes of the system. Designers must be blatant with their choices for justice over discrimination, as they hold the responsibility of creating a better future. 

How to create Inclusive Designs?: The blueprint for creating Inclusive Designs

The broad scope of aspects determining the inclusive nature of designs takes a few key aspects under consideration. These include the following: 

Gender Inclusivity:

Gender inclusivity not only looks at better inclusion of women in the design process but also expands to the realm of the non-binary population. Public toilets are the best space for the application of gender-inclusive design activism. Gender inclusivity activism can also translate into the urban design of public spaces. Principles of natural surveillance and security can be applied consciously to create gender-inclusive spaces.

Disability Inclusivity:

There are several different disabilities that millions of people suffer from. Be it visual impairment, reduced mobility due to old age, or immobility due to dysfunctional body parts, the list is endless. These disabilities hamper the way people manoeuvre around space. Design of spaces should consider the need and comfort of the differently abled people and create spaces that are disability-inclusive. 

Cultural and Racial Inclusivity:

Cultural and racial inclusivity in design respects the nuances of cultures of diverse ethnicities. Part of this discourse includes a cultural appropriation of spaces or curating people-centric spaces that reflect their culture. Another aspect of this could include respecting and preserving the built heritage. Sometimes, the incorporation of cultural symbolism in spaces could also be entailed under the umbrella of cultural inclusivity. 

Along with these parameters for creating inclusive designs, designers can follow a methodology that can guide them in their vision for inclusive design activism. 

• Moving away from the conventional representations of users and the design of spaces.
• Identifying issues that need to be resolved.
• Research about neglected or suppressed communities has a broader user base that considers human plurality. 
• Experiment and reiterate the possible solutions.
• Innovate and create the ambience that drives change in society. 

Power of Inclusive Design Activism:

Inclusive design activism can be a catalyst for change. It can solve deeper social issues and become the context for change. It can even bring political reforms when used correctly. The Americans with Disability Act is one such example, where inclusive design activism has contributed to bringing about real change in society. Following this law, several other countries incorporated universal design standards into their bylaws.  

Another counter-example of inclusive design activism could be large open grounds and squares that become a place of practising activism. These spaces often see large gatherings of people who are present in a space at once to voice their opinions on a common cause.

Thoughtful Design

Amidst all the social chaos, it is important to consider the fabric of the architecture. Larger issues of the architecture and construction industry, like environmental impact and sustainable designs, cannot be left out of the mix. Ultimately, inclusive design activism helps designers articulate spaces that are more than just accessible. Truly inclusive designs are thoughtful concerning every possible parameter. 

References:

• Pan, X. (2020) How to be a diversity & inclusion activist as a designer , Medium . Bootcamp. Available at: https://bootcamp.uxdesign.cc/how-to-be-a-diversity-inclusion-activist-as-a-designer-45fd16e3f855 (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 
• Donahue, Sean & Gheerawo, Rama. (2009). Inclusive Design 2.0 – Evolving the Approach and Meeting New Challenges. 
• Iñiguez, A. (2022) Urbanism with a gender perspective: 7 guidelines for the design of Public Spaces in Buenos Aires , ArchDaily . ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/987849/urbanism-with-a-gender-perspective-7-guidelines-for-the-design-of-public-spaces-in-buenos-aires (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 
• Inclusive design: Diverse voices lead to products that work for everyone (no date) Infosys Knowledge Institute . Available at: https://www.infosys.com/iki/perspectives/inclusive-design.html#:~:text=Inclusive%20design%20is%20more%20than,to%20underrepresented%20or%20oppressed%20populations. (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 
• Industrial Designers Society of America (no date) IDSA . Available at: https://www.idsa.org/ (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 
• Luck, R. (2017) Inclusive Design and making in practice: Bringing bodily experience into closer contact with making , Design Studies . Elsevier. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142694X1730087X (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 
• Dandavate, U. (2019) Design activism , Medium . SonicRim: Stories from the Edge. Available at: https://medium.com/sonicrim-stories-from-the-edge/design-activism-496db463e5ee (Accessed: October 10, 2022). 

Namita Dhawan is an architect and a writer. She is extremely enthusiastic about architecture, design, history, research, and writing. She believes architecture is about power, it can provoke thoughts, and emotions, and control the actions of the users subtly.

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