Architect's Role in Creating Equitable Communities

Architects and designers naturally impact the areas where they design and build, resulting in outcomes that extend to social equity.

Words matter. Design is centered on context — those who will inhabit a space, the neighborhood in which it exists, and the surrounding environment.

With this knowledge, architects can identify existing inequities and discrimination in the built environment and then intentionally address, through project work and firm processes, specific issues and conditions that lead to a built environment that does not impact all people equally.

In partnership with Gensler we produced this resource with the American Institute of Architects who continues to invest in developing frameworks, guidelines, and resources that consider equity in practice and project settings with a focus on climate action, racial justice, and designing for communities.

This resource shares how architects can, in their practices, bring about racially just and equitable outcomes for all members of the communities they serve.