“You are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions…” Whitney M. Young Jr. famously and provocatively stated when he gave the keynote speech at the AIA convention of 1968.

How much has changed since then? Have we begun to make significant contributions to solutions for our communities? To issues of diversity, gentrification or general inequality that face the people affected by our building projects or in our neighborhoods?

At this lecture, the renowned Majora Carter—MacArthur Fellow, urban revitalizer and TED talker—talked about her community work. She discussed her personal decision to work with her South Bronx community to help it thrive by working locally, together with neighbors and community. She showed by example how she has helped design professionals understand the array of overlooked opportunities in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities—BEFORE picking up a pencil or creating policy.

Can we do this in our own daily work? Susan Kaplan started off with a discussion of how much can actually can be done in a building project—how we can have huge positive impact in other people’s daily lives, become the advisors and professionals that help clients see the risks in NOT addressing social issues that are part and parcel of any project, and help clients shine to investors, government officials and potential employees alike, by optimizing their commitment to issues beyond the bottom line.