AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS PASSES NEW RESOLUTION CONFRONTING GENDER AND RACIAL DISPARITIES

4,117 AIA delegates at the American Institute of Architects’ national convention this year have voted to pass a new resolution titled “Equity in Architecture ,” which “calls for the institute to take definitive measures to strengthen the presence of underrepresented demographics especially in membership, firm leadership, and ownership in the profession,” reports Archinect’s Justine Testado.

The vote was motivated by architecture’s history of gender and racial disparities, and passage of the resolution will direct the institute to create programs that assess data, track progress, set a plan of action, and report on results.

Rosa Sheng, the assistant treasurer of the San Francisco branch of AIA (Sheng codrafted the resolution), said “It’s not just for women’s sake, but also for talent retention to sustain the profession and connect with the diverse population that we serve.”