
How Black Creatives Are Reimagining Design
As we awaken to architecture and design’s long history of exclusion—and acceptance of racist building practices like red-lining and restrictive covenants—everyone could benefit from a more complete narrative of those who led the way in the past and those who are in line to shape the future.
So here is a regularly updated chronicle of Black architects, designers, urbanists, educators, and advocates who are reshaping design in equitable and exciting ways.
Meet the Leaders Forging New Paths
Here are the voices leading today’s design movements. From design activists to the leaders of professional organizations, they are laying out the vision for a more inclusive design industry and world.
Profiles
Congratulations to AIA’s Next President
Kimberly Dowdell, the 295th living black woman to earn an architect’s license, is the first black woman to serve as AIA president.
Viewpoints
Six Initiatives Model Ways to Practice True Design Justice
Across the globe, architects, designers, and planners are redefining what it means to be an advocate in the design professions.
Profiles
Cheryl Durst Talks Agency, Equity, and Why IIDA Is Engaging Kids
The IIDA’s vice president and CEO discusses inclusion, a new pipeline for young talent, and her hopes for the upcoming year.
Viewpoints
NOMA: What the Next 50 Years Looks Like
A new endowment, the end of tokenism, and licensure for as many BIPOC practitioners as possible are among the National Organization of Minority Architects leadership’s long-term goals.

Profiles
Mabel O. Wilson is Updating the Narrative of American Architecture to Include Black Architects
A new book, an upcoming MoMA exhibition, and a recently completed memorial are informed by the Columbia University professor’s unflinching critique of traditional architectural pedagogy.
View StoryForgotten Black Design History
Black architects and designers have long been denied the same recognition as their white colleagues and many of their historical contributions have been ignored or obscured by the design media. In recent years, that has started to change as a new generation looks to the past to build a more equitable future.

Viewpoints
Why Aren’t Black Firms Working on Memorials to Slavery?
A new memorial in Virginia is the latest cultural project acknowledging a debt to enslaved African Americans. But the most high-profile commissions and contracts are hardly ever awarded to African-American firms.
View StoryBlack Architects Who Dream Big
With a rich range of approaches to healing historic hurt, finding solutions to intractable problems, and innovating exciting experiences, these architects are giving their profession a new relevance.

Viewpoints
How Recycling Existing Buildings Could Solve the Urban Housing Crisis
Does the cure for housing insecurity lie in more aggressive reuse of overlooked structures? A growing number of architects and urban activists say yes.
View StoryBlack Designers Driving Inclusion
From interiors to products, Black designers are reshaping an industry that has been slow to pay attention to diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences.

Viewpoints
Commentary: Monumental Changes
Is the movement to topple America’s Confederate statues a path to justice or an act of catharsis?
View StoryInnovating from the Black Experience
Experiences imagined by Black creatives challenge accepted notions of design and open doors to fresh ideas. From exhibition design to residential projects and art museums, these are the projects shaping the future.
Would you like to comment on this article? Send your thoughts to: [email protected]
More in Equity
Projects
Building atop a 14,000-Foot-Tall Mountain
GWWO Architects recently completed a new visitor center for Pikes Peak, the highest point in the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Projects
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Creates a New Urban Shortcut in Oslo
A pedestrian passageway through Via, a block-sized development in the Norwegian capital, creates new connections to the city.
Projects
NewLab Puts Down Roots in Detroit
Architecture firm Civilian helps transform Albert Kahn’s Detroit Book Depository into a sprawling incubator for innovations in mobility technology.
More in Interior Design
Projects
Building atop a 14,000-Foot-Tall Mountain
GWWO Architects recently completed a new visitor center for Pikes Peak, the highest point in the Front Range of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
Projects
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Creates a New Urban Shortcut in Oslo
A pedestrian passageway through Via, a block-sized development in the Norwegian capital, creates new connections to the city.
Projects
NewLab Puts Down Roots in Detroit
Architecture firm Civilian helps transform Albert Kahn’s Detroit Book Depository into a sprawling incubator for innovations in mobility technology.