Committee on the Environment

If we are designing well, our buildings are rooted in their specific places and serve the needs of those distinct communities. As architects, we ask ourselves: Do we really know what those needs are, or are we assuming we know? Are we approaching the communities we serve with a paternalistic mindset- that we, as the experts and professionals, know best? 

The approach outlined in Biositu's new "Alignment Process Playbook" is intended to generate value for all, through community-centered design. With support from the AIA Upjohn Research Initiative in 2021, this resource, with case studies from a pilot conducted in 2022 and 2023, is now ready for use! A web-based demo of health situation analysis walks the user through the analytical portion of this process. The Alignment Process will also be featured in the Urban Land Institute's Sustainability Outlook annual report in January. Adele Houghton's co-authored book, Architectural Epidemiology goes into further detail about co-benefit design and will be available in 2024.

The resource includes sources of data for informed, evidence-based decision making; reminds us of best practices for a transparent, equitable, and participatory stakeholder engagement process; and provides a framework (worksheets, templates and sample agendas) that balances financial success, public health outcomes, and social impact. They process outlined combines neighborhood-level data with stakeholder input and alignment to help project teams envision a future that they can work together to realize. 

This is a step-by-step guide to maximizing and aligning co-benefits of real estate development. Projects using the playbook will be able to: 

Often, design teams are doing good work, but fail to communicate it in a meaningful way that resonates with all stakeholders. This guide will help designers, owners, community members and authorities having jurisdiction articulate those points and collectively refine design strategies to tangibly demonstrate positive change. 

Some testimonials from the three pilot project teams' stakeholders: 

• The alignment process did a better job of producing a design that reflected all three stakeholder groups' (community groups, design/ development team, local officials) views than the traditional process.
• All groups reported significant shifts in their willingness to contribute to the project's success.
• The compensation for our time was appreciated. But, the most valuable part of this process was that we feel like our voices were heard (Community member feedback).
• [The Alignment Process] addressed the misconception that sustainability is a choice between 'the environment vs the economy,' when this workshop shows that climate solutions are community solutions. It really puts community and economy back into the framing of sustainability.
• We didn't know the magnitude of what was needed in this neighborhood, and how amazingly this project addresses so many of those needs [until the Alignment Process].