Rennie Jones of Architizer highlights nine women pioneering a variety of successful and poignant public interest design projects around the world.
As Rennie Jones writes in Architizer, "traditional courtship between architects and projects of public interest relied on the mediation of benefactors with bank rolls who chaperoned the impassioned relationship between the architect and his work to ensure all appearances were in order." However, as architects begin to shift their focus from working with these benefactors, to working within the public interest, the "client" has morphed from the project financiers, to the end users. These people, in dialogue with the architect, participate in the conception and construction of the project.
According to Jones, "Women are an inspiring presence in this sector of design and, in another trend that contrasts tradition, they are being recognized for it. There are many women (and men!) who put in the sweat and lack of sleep to establish the field, but here we will highlight nine of the next young guns."
Some of the women included are Emily Pilloton of Project H Design, Julia King, Ceara O'Leary at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, Marika Shioiri-Clark of MASS Design Group, and Deanna VanBuren of FOURM Design Studio, among many others.
FULL STORY: 9 Women Who Are Rocking Public Interest Design
How Effective Street Lighting Improves Women’s Mobility
A lack of effective lighting in streets, parks, and transit stations limits the places where many women and other vulnerable groups feel safe traveling at night.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Shifting the Male Perspective on City Planning
Urban spaces and transportation system are largely designed and managed by men, but cities are starting to recognize the unique challenges women and children face.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research