AIA Minnesota furthers connection, learning, and action to foster an inclusive culture within the architecture profession. When each person’s unique contexts, experiences, and needs are respected and valued, the candor and creative problem solving that result lead to better design solutions.
Bridging across differences — “intercultural competence” — is key to creating an inclusive and effective profession. It is a relevant skill for leading interdisciplinary teams, working with clients, and facilitating decision-making among myriad stakeholders with varying worldviews and life experiences.
AIA Minnesota also brings attention to issues of past and lingering inequities in the built environment. Understanding the history and legacy of decisions related to built spaces — from redlining to racial covenants, the siting of highways to patterns of pollution and access to nature — is key to shaping a built environment that better supports health, safety, and wellbeing for all.
WAYS TO LEARN AND GET INVOLVED:
Culture Change Initiative — Read about this effort to examine the current state of the culture of the architecture profession, to define the desired culture, and to accelerate progress in achieving that desired culture. Join the national Community of Practice for Culture Change.
Women in Architecture — Join the AIA Minnesota committee that advocates for women in architecture. Activities include networking, CE development, exploration of challenges women continue to face, and supports that make a difference in retaining women in the field. People of all genders are welcome.
Intercultural Development — Participate AIA Minnesota’s architecture-specific skill-building programs focused on growing your capacity to recognize and bridge across cultural differences: The National Intercultural Leadership Program and Foundations of Intercultural Decevelopment. In times of increased polarization and lack of connection across life experiences and worldviews, skill in intercultural competence is needed now more than ever.
Committee on Equity in the Built Environment — Join the AIA Minnesota committee focused on understanding inequities in the built environment and exploring ways to address these inequities in how built spaces are shaped going forward.