Architecture is a combination of art and science, combining the imagination and creativity of the human mind with the science and mathematics needed to create secure and stable structures. Through studying architecture, one may expect to work in fields such as urban planning, interior or spatial design, architecture, or other occupations related to the built environment. In one way or another an architect works with the foundations and structures people interact with on a daily basis (Collier, 2021). There are always cultural connotations involved with the architecture of a given society, civilization, and time period.Britannicadifferentiates between architecture and other similar fields such as construction, by comparing architecture to an art form of designing and building, rather than the skills required for construction. Architecture can also serve practical utility, providing shelter and other use, while also being aesthetically appealing, and an expression of the architect and their creative imagination (Collins, nd). The architecture and design of a society will vary based on environmental factors, such as climate, and weather, while also reflecting the history and traditions of the civilization. New innovations will frequently be included or reflected, and architecture serves as a lasting monument to the past.
In 2021, the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) had an exhibit titled,"Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America". This exhibit featured the ways in which structural racism is intentionally built into our physical environment. Throughout history, design has cemented our prejudices by expelling the oppressed to undesirable structures and neighborhoods. This exhibit highlights the ways in which Black Americans were denied housing options White’s had access to, from early slave quarters, to present day housing projects or low income neighborhoods (Sanderson, 2021). Redlining of neighborhoods in the 1950’s and the GI bill that put White GI’s into homes and Black GIs (who all fought in the same war) into housing projects further cemented housing segregation and the disproportionality of home ownership between Blacks and Whites. Gentrification over time further complicates this with wealthy(mostly White) people moving into poorer neighborhoods, displacing Blacks and other people of color, forcing them to relocate often further away from their jobs or their children’s schools.
As the designers of civilization, architects play a key role in shaping the world around them as well as the built environment that everyone is required to interact with on a daily basis. In a world and more specifically, a nation that was built on the backs of discrimination,racism, and the exploitation of labor, no industry or academic discipline can claim that they have a truly inclusive and accepting communityandhistory.TheArchitects’ Journal conducted a Race Diversity Survey in 2018 which demonstrates that architecture is no exception to this fact.In a survey of 1,000 architects, technologists, and students, results actually showed that racism has gotten worse for BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) individuals. When comparing results from the 2018 survey to the 2020 edition, the results indicated greater experiences of discrimination and racism. 33% of respondents said that racism was widespread in architecture, and 27% of respondents agreed with the statement, “I have been the victim of racism at my place of work” (Architecture and Racism, 2020). Among individuals who identify as Black,African, and Caribbean, the percentage of people who reported that racism was widely prevalent was 43%. All of these metrics were higher compared to the 2018 edition of the survey.
From an academic perspective, there is a level of faculty acknowledgement regarding architecture and its inequities. An article that recorded a panel conversation between architecture faculty, historians, and individuals working within the field elaborated on such inequalities. Louis Nelson, professor of architectural history, as well as the vice provost for academic outreach at the University of Virginia, stated that, “Because architecture is part of the Western tradition of power,it is not a cultural but white” (Architecture and Racism, 2020). Another panelist, Dianne Harris cited a statistic that over the past 40 years, racial demographics within the profession and architectural offices have remained relatively stagnant and unchanged (Architecture and Racism, 2020). White men still dominate the field, especially within leadership roles.
By excluding people of color from this educational pathway and corresponding career paths, people of color are also excluded and unrepresented in the creation of the built environment. How neighborhoods are designed, structures of houses and city layouts all impact people of color, and disenfranchised people of color are more likely to inhabit less desirable spaces of the built environment. By allowing for greater representation for people of color,there may be a path to reconciliation which may also help rectify injustices such as housing inequality and environmental racism.
