As a member of a State Building Code Council, I see directly how Architects can provide pragmatic insights that shape policy. Architects understand how buildings and cities are designed to make people’s lives healthier and better. Our knowledge of zoning codes through site selection, financing, design, construction, and renovation mean we understand the impediments and opportunities for cities and towns to foster connections, mobility, increase housing, and support economic activity. Our broad view of the built environment, as leaders of design teams, mean that we are visionaries that understand potential futures that others are not trained to do.
Architects can and do engage directly in advocacy at the local, state, and national level for or against specific ideas through testimony and letters. Sometimes this is to increase housing supply through zoning reform or improve building codes in our city.
But we have a huge untapped potential to shape the built environment through public service in other ways. We can join boards, commissions and seek public offices where we help steer the direction of built environment policy, and this is where a lot of our power lays dormant. For example, Representative Davina Duerr is the only architect in the legislature in Washington State, where her critical thinking skills and knowledge of the built environment helps craft, build support for, and pass important bills that shape our cities and towns. Architects also serve on Planning Commissions, providing critical input and votes that impact all buildings. Other architects serve on Review boards, City Councils, School boards, homeowner associations, numerous local, state and national AIA committees, Community centers, and other areas where our skills are essential.
I also serve on the Board of Directors of our church and am surprised at how many times building-related issues come up. Many churches and other non profits own or rent property, and every one of them is an opportunity for us to use our knowledge to shape buildings, neighborhoods, and cities to improve lives. As Building Performance Standards that set EUI targets for existing buildings become more prevalent, architects that are on homeowner association and condo boards will have an increasing role in helping improve their buildings and other members understanding building performance. While there are numerous companies willing to help, knowing how construction works on the inside of the Boards is critical to getting the cost-effective and replicable energy savings.
How can you get more involved? Find a friend that is involved and go with them. Or better yet, just show up and find out what’s going on at your school board, city council, planning commission, or building code council! You can read the agenda ahead of time online and be there for parts you are more interested in. While most people feel awkward about just showing up, very few people actually take the time to do so, and most of those that do have a business interest in being there. As a pragmatic architect with little to no business interest in the outcome, you will be listened to with a much higher degree of interest than the typical lobbyists they hear from. Make connections with the officials you meet and offer to be a resource.
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson prompts us to take action at the center of our personal Venn diagrams: What are you good at? What brings you joy? What work needs doing?
How can you put your skills to use in public service?