architecture – Design Activism

University of Arkansas Community Design Center

The University of Arkansas Community Design Center (UACDC) started as an outreach center in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, with a focus on rural development. The center has a downtown location with full-time design and planning staff, providing services for communities and organizations across the nation. The UACDC addresses public-interest design through […]

Detroit Collaborative Design Center at University of Detroit Mercy

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC) at the University of Detroit Mercy was originally founded to rebuild the city with community and philanthropic organizations. It creates sustainable spaces and communities in a multi-disciplinary, nonprofit architecture and urban design firm. The team is made up of seven professionals and a few student interns. The team uses […]

Assemble

Assemble works in architecture, design, and art in a multi-disciplinary collective in London. It was founded in 2010 originally for one design-build project but has since expanded. The team works in a democratic and co-operative manner and focuses on built, social, and research-based work. Their work includes built structures, art exhibits, children play spaces, furniture, […]

Architects Without Borders – Seattle

Architects Without Borders-Seattle was founded in 2005 by a group of Seattle architects and designers in response to the Asian tsunami. Today, this non-profit serves communities that would otherwise lack access to design services, both internationally and in the Puget Sound area. This organization is part of an international coalition of designers that provide pro […]

Kounkuey Design Initiative

KDI is an international, interdisciplinary firm that includes engineering, landscape architecture, community organizing, architecture, and urban planning. They aim to create physical, social, and economic infrastructures to provide a foundation for equitable communities. They do this through designing and building, community-led planning, researching and testing, advocating and educating students and practitioners around the world. Their […]

Environmental Works

Environmental Works Community Design Center is a nonprofit community-based architectural firm that provides services to other nonprofit organizations, municipal agencies, and under-represented communities in the state of Washington. Their services include architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. They strive to create quality design and sustainable communities with efficient use of capital funds. Environmental Works focus on […]

The Intersection of Activism and Architecture

In this episode of WNYC podcast, Nandini Bagchee discusses her book Counter Institution: Activist Estates of the Lower East Side. The book intersects architecture, urban design practice, geography and cartography with history, politics and sociology, subtly depicting the history of activism in New York City and how the city has inspired and encouraged political participation. […]

Chicago Expanding Architecture Conversations on Design as Activism

Metropolis magazine hosted a panel that explored the need to expand the field of architecture by including design as activism. More attention has turned to designing for sustainability, but there is still a lack of focus on designing for social and economic issues. The panel discussed a spectrum of social issues, such as affordable housing; […]