by: AIA New York
Oculus magazine, AIA New York’s quarterly publication, commits to more actively stand up against systemic racism and inequality through our coverage and invites our readers to join us in this effort.
Our Fall 2020 issue will address the intersection of climate change and social justice. “People of color disproportionately bear climate impacts, from storms to heat waves to pollution. Fossil-fueled power plants and refineries are disproportionately located in black neighborhoods, leading to poor air quality and putting people at higher risk for coronavirus,” wrote climate expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson in a June Washington Post op-ed. “Our racial inequality crisis is intertwined with our climate crisis. If we don’t work on both, we will succeed at neither.”
This magazine in turn is posing questions that may be relevant to architects in this regard: How can the built environment support the most at-risk communities? How do buildings people live in and around affect their health? We invite contributions from members and readers in the form of op-eds or information about initiatives and projects relevant to this theme. Please email editor@aiany.org with proposals with the subject line “Submission: Fall 2020.” Final op-eds and visualizations should be 800 words/one page and are due by August 1, 2020.