AIA New York’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee seeks to foster dialogues about diversity and give agency to issues of inclusion and representation through engagement, education, and empowerment.
While New York is famed for being a diverse city and has the largest number of AIA members nationwide, thus far there has been no consolidated benchmark data for architectural professionals within the NYC metro community. Therefore, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee began the 2017 AIANY Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Member Survey as part of the Next Gen Arch research initiative funded by an AIANY Committee Excellence Grant. The aim of the survey was to quantify the current representation in the chapter, to capture certain perceptions about equity in the profession, and to build on existing local, state, and national efforts.
Some selected findings from the EDI survey were released in conjunction with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee’s involvement in the A’18 Conference on Architecture and later that summer with A Call to Act(ivism); Echoing Whitney Young, 50 Years Later, a Center for Architecture exhibition curated by committee co-chair Danei Cesario. The exhibition linked survey findings to the historic challenge issued by Whitney Young during his keynote speech at the 1968 AIA Conference. Echoing headlines of half a century ago, current events have illuminated the remaining room for improvement in social, racial and economic equity.
These research results will hopefully serve as a genesis for dialogues around necessary cultural shifts in the profession and as a resource for industry members and leaders to set actionable goals in their respective organizations.
AIA National 2017 Diversity Statement
The American Institute of Architects, as part of the global community, champions a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the profession of architecture to create a better environment for all. Achieving this vision has a direct impact on the relevance of our profession and the world’s prosperity, health, and future.