This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Housing Knowledge Community .
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Actually, the dues paid to AIA National are relatively reasonable compared to the Boston Society of Architects to which I'm forced to belong by dint of geography.
Despite the fact that meetings in Boston, 40 miles and 90 minutes away are nearly impossible to attend anymore, BSA has the audacity to be among the most expensive components in the nation at more than 2x the national dues. To make matters worse parking in Boston runs close to $50 a trip! Public transportation in the Boston area, a well known joke, is not an option unless you wish to devote the entire workday to travel for a 1 hour meeting.
Looking at the extent of the threads of this discussion I'm left wondering if anyone at national reads this blog or even cares. Both BSA and AIA national seem to exist to fluff their greater glory. One shining example is the new "BSA Space". Very swank downtown Boston Waterfront location, very expensive build out and barely accessible to the majority of members without a vast expenditure of hydrocarbons.
We all are facing the same issue. We and our 19th century organization are the last monumentalists in a virtualizing world. Imagine the impact if the funds used to house our bureaucrat-itects were spent on a serious public education project. The world is changing. Will architects make the cut?
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John Dugger AIA
Principal Architect
J S Dugger, AIA & Associates
Gloucester MA
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