AIA Grassroots '20

Here are my recent remarks from the opening session of the American Institute of Architects Grassroots leadership conference, held in New Orleans (February 19, 2020).

"Let’s cut to it…We are in New Orleans for a simple reason. This August will mark 15 years since Hurricane Katrina. Those 15 years have brought:

Rita. Sandy. Harvey. Irma. Maria…

One city after another has learned that we can no longer take terms like “500-year flood” literally – Hurricane Harvey marked Houston’s third 500-year flood in three years. 

As we now know, in 2005 Hurricane Katrina announced a new normal of more extreme and more frequent storms, driven by climate crisis. 

That new normal requires a new paradigm. Under this paradigm, it’s not enough to wait on First Responders to repair the damage after the fact. 

We must empower First Adapters to prevent the worst impacts. To design communities that can withstand any challenge – climate, economic, or otherwise. 

We are a profession of First Adapters. We build, retrofit, and anticipate. We build smarter cities that empower and engage. When we do that, we build prosperity. 

Our goal this week is to explore how we can apply our expertise, and coordinate with local officials, to build communities that are more resilient, healthier, more equitable, and more compassionate. 

Architects have solutions to society’s most pressing problems. 

Like Illya Azaroff, whose pioneering Hurricane Strong home innovations promise life-saving impacts for our most vulnerable citizens in our most vulnerable cities. 

To the architects of the Gardner firm in Oklahoma City, who collaborated with local developers and officials to invest new life into the marginalized EastPoint neighborhood. They are our Film Challenge winner, and we’ll hear more about the EastPoint project later. 

Their stories, and yours, illustrate that positive, lasting progress will be achieved if we all take personal and professional responsibility for the change we seek.

Leaders like Betsy del Monte show us how. Betsy rallied members to spearhead the climate resolution at A’19, demonstrating what it means to be a citizen architect. Our decisive act charted a new course, mobilizing AIA around climate action. Our overwhelming vote in favor of the resolution confirms we are all citizen architects, united in this urgent purpose. 

We acknowledge our responsibility to lead the change society needs. With the collective talent and passion of our record 95,000 plus members, it’s time for the biggest design organization in the world to tackle the biggest design problem in the world. 

And it starts with telling our stories. If members have one expectation of AIA, it is to broadcast the value of our 95,000 stories. 

That’s what advocacy is. 

And winning the fight against climate change requires our advocacy. 

Designing a healthy, sustainable, equitable world requires our advocacy. 

Architects must have a seat at the table, and we must be equipped to advocate our solutions and vision to policymakers, to allied industries, and to our clients. 

Over the next three hours, we’ll focus on identifying and honing the stories we’ll take back to our communities.  

In our breakout sessions, we’ll share our experiences and listen to those of our colleagues. We’ll explore strategies to position architects at the center of the public discussion to drive climate action. 

Today’s agenda also features a conversation with America’s most effective mayors: city officials on the front line working for equity, economic prosperity and sustainability. 

That conversation is an invitation. It is a call to action to the architects in every community to participate in shaping the policies and visions that will take us all forward, TOGETHER.

After the mayors panel, we will break into think tanks focusing on energy, economy and equitable communities – exploring how each of us can tackle opportunities via our own practices and components. Using our voices, and our stories. 

Here are four objectives I’d like us to take home. At the end of our time together, let’s be ready to be the leader in our communities to:

• Make the business case for sustainability.
• To Promote resiliency and sustainability as factors that are as essential to design thinking as safety and aesthetics.
• To Ensure that equity, diversity, and inclusion are part of everything we do.
• And to Advocate and serve as a trusted partner for progress.

If we can do those four things, we can work with our civic leaders and neighbors not just to build communities, but to build a movement. 

This is the way we’ll turn AIA’s new Climate Action Plan into results. It has three overarching goals:

Firstly; mitigating sources, and owning the significant impact the building industry's footprint has on climate - that’s the 40% of global carbon emissions that our work directly impacts…

Secondly, adapting to those impacts and transforming our practices… 

And then, catalyzing every architect to act, in our communities…

Mitigating, adapting, catalyzing – what it all comes back to is leading.

With the leadership of people in this room, we can transform our profession and practice. 

Get acquainted with AIA's Climate Action Plan on the conference app. It's our latest Blueprint For Better.

As first adapters, as movement builders, as advocates for the power of design, let’s aim high in hope and work. And make big plans.

As plans go, fighting global climate change certainly qualifies as big. And there’s no higher aim than designing a healthy, sustainable, equitable world. That’s our mission. And 7.5 billion worldwide clients are counting on us.

It might seem daunting. But there are 95,000 of us. And this is a project that’s scalable. 

Let’s do the math. There are about 600 of us in this room. 

If we leave here, roll up our sleeves and share our stories with just 150 people each – imagine our reach. 150 people each – whether it’s one board meeting; one neighbor; one client at a time; one city council meeting at a time that reaches dozens of allies; one media interview at a time; or one billboard at a time.

You may have noticed that 600 times 150 approaches 100,000 colleagues and neighbors. This starts with our own membership – members who want to be involved but may not know how. 

If the 600 of us take what we learn here and pass it on to colleagues and neighbors, then they pass it on -- this is how we grow a movement. 

This is how we make an impact. 

This is our leadership moment. And it comes with the most significant deadline of our careers.

I’m confident that our training, our insights, our talents, and our dedication are equal to the challenge. And I look forward to an inspiring and constructive two days together. "