Academy of Architecture for Justice

  • 1.  Justice Visioning - Continuing the discussion, education, & momentum

    Posted 11-23-2015 02:43 PM

    Many of you attended the visioning sessions at #AAJ15. It was very exciting to have the room full of justice design experts ranging from architects to developers, social workers to the urban impact lab, from correction commissioners to mental health psychologists, to even people from the DA's office! Wow!! So many people want to see reform and are coming together in unity to create the best solution for a rapidly changing field.

    I'd like to continue and expand the discussion to those that were and were not in attendance....can you share your thoughts on any/all of the below questions?

    • What does Justice mean to you?
    • What does Community mean to you?
    • What does addressing Culture within the design mean to you?
    • Who are additional Stakeholders you think should be involved in the process on a national, state, and community level?
    • Are there any success stories or comments you would like to share?
    • Do you have connections within your group that can join to make a difference on the community, political/policy, educational, resource, or indiv./family support level? Do you feel you can reach out to them or would a set of guidelines/information help you be more effective?
    • What would you change to reform Justice? This can range from design ideas to policies, owner education to visioning session for every building project, involving certain stakeholders, tax referendums, etc.  

    ***Please remember these discussion guidelines shared within the visioning sessions:

    1. All perspective and ideas add to the conversation in a meaningful way

    2. Critique should be constructive and about ideas, not individuals

    3. If responding or building off a comment, it is helpful to repeat back "I hear you saying..." to ensure the correct interpretation

    4. Asking for clarification is always a good idea (sometime a person may write something that would come across completely different if spoken)

    5. Bring love and a healthy sense of humor

    Let's continue the discussion! Continue to bring momentum to see change! Let's do our part.

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    Brooke M. Martin, Assoc. AIA
    2015 AIA AAJ Knowledge Scholar
    Dewberry
    Peoria, IL
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  • 2.  RE: Justice Visioning - Continuing the discussion, education, & momentum

    Posted 11-23-2015 08:32 PM

    I wasn't able to attend the Saturday session, but did attend the Friday sessions. I wish there was a little more opportunity to interact, but I understand a certain structure had to be maintained for the recording. The "restorative justice" (RJ) discussion in Friday morning's session was mind-numbingly fascinating to me... and in fact has continued to ring through my mind as one of the most pragmatic solutions to reducing incarceration AND recidivism rates while respecting the rights of victims and perpetrators simultaneously.

    After doing some quick research over the weekend, RJ is well established. However, very few of the "correctional experts" in my circle knew what it is or how it works. It may be the game changer or at least a part of the changing face of the criminal justice system that is so desperately needed in our society.

    Does anyone know the architect's name who was there and briefly presented the concept of restorative justice?

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    Gordon Rogers AIA
    EAS Department Executive
    Kitchell CEM, Inc.
    Phoenix AZ



  • 3.  RE: Justice Visioning - Continuing the discussion, education, & momentum

    Posted 11-23-2015 08:49 PM

    Hi, Gordon –

     

    Thanks for sharing the impact of that session.  I, too, felt expanded and unsettled (in a good way)!  The Saturday sessions were very powerful as well.  The architect that you refer to is Deanna Van Buren of FOURM design studio.  Here's a link to her website:  http://www.fourmdesignstudio.com/

     

    Beverly Prior, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP
    Vice President, Justice Lead, U.S. West

    Buildings + Places
    D +1 415.908.6183 M +1 415.269.9422

    Beverly.Prior@aecom.com

     

    AECOM

    300 California Street

    San Francisco, CA 94104

    T: 415.796.8100 F: 415.796.8200

    www.aecom.com

     

     






  • 4.  RE: Justice Visioning - Continuing the discussion, education, & momentum

    Posted 11-24-2015 02:32 PM

    Hi Gordon,

    You can also follow some of the dialogue on Friday & Saturday by looking at #builtjustice - this hashtag was used during all the visioning sessions as Urban Impact Lab logged parts of the conversation via twitter. Thanks for sharing your experience and choosing to continue the education and research toward a better solution.

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    Brooke M. Martin, Assoc. AIA
    2015 AIA AAJ Scholar
    Dewberry
    Peoria, IL