Equity by Design Committee

AIASF's Equity by Design initiative is a call to action to realize the goal of equitable practice for everyone, advance the profession and communicate the value of architecture to society. Our mission promotes the strategic execution of best practices in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of our profession's best talent at every level of architectural practice.

Meetings

Held quarterly on the first Friday 12:00 - 1:00 PM (PST)

Leadership

Lilian Asperin, AIA
Chair

Rosa Sheng, FAIA
Past Chair

Annelise Pitts, AIA
Research Chair

Antonia Bowman, AIA
Core Team

The JE:DI Agenda in Action

In 2021, in the wake of multiple pandemics impacting societal and environmental challenges, we grappled with the resultant shifts and compounding disruptions that have challenged how we live, work, and thrive. At this inflection point, we quickly pivoted and expanded our platform to respond to the rapidly changing needs of our profession and community members. #EQxD2020 Series, The JE:DI. Agenda introduced a Justice-and Equity-driven approach to drive Diverse representation and Inclusive results at the contextual intersections of Social/Economic, Health, Environment, and Practice.

In 2022, we continued the next chapter with The JE:DI Agenda in Action series of panels and workshops building on the outcomes of 2021’s critical discourse and frameworks. We began with a summary of what we learned in 2020. We built upon it with today’s evolving challenges with an overview of JE:DI frameworks for solving these challenges proposed to date across multiple organizations. Together, we co-created an intersectional “Roadmap for Action'' designed to guide practitioners and firm leaders in their commitments to initiating and sustaining systemic change by dismantling systems of harm and oppression. We proposed a new paradigm for designing a just future in which the built environment cultivates dignity, belonging, agency, and mutualism.