Working Communities, Working Architecture

In the 21st century, rising temperatures and technologies of adaptation and automation are colliding with shifting populations and polarizing politics—and the built environment finds itself right in the middle. A nationwide housing affordability and resilience crisis shows no signs of abating. Dramatically changing modes of transportation are in tension with infrastructure as built. Supply chains and energy systems are struggling to respond to simultaneous calls for expediency and equity in the face of the existential threat that is climate change. Importantly, unevenly distributed economic distress is both a prime cause and painful effect of these interconnected challenges. 

Architects, planners, and other professionals of the built environment are well-positioned to address these challenges, but that positioning in no way guarantees results. In response, Working Communities, Working Architecture seeks to answer the question “Is Architecture Working for Working People?” by facilitating a process of information sharing for ambitious design and planning projects in various stages of development across the United States, culminating in a curated, thematic publication series documenting cross-regional architectural practice in working communities.