Urban Environmentalism

How can designers and citizens alike do their part for the environment?

Landscape Consciousness—Why It Matters

I figured that if I was going to talk about minority designers, that I'd also briefly explore urban environmentalism and what relevance it might have to the field of architecture and design practice.

So what is urban environmentalism? In my own words, I'd explain urban environmentalism to someone as a coalitional initiative to preserve and maintain the unique urban environment for the benefit of the ecological system and inhabitant within an urban area. I think this is an important topic because architects, they're responsible for taking into consideration environmental impact of any imposed design plan as well as sourcing materials for their built structures.

What this means is that any licensed professional architect must be knowledgeable about building codes and regulatory standards of constructing on any given type of land. And doing so also signifies that an architect has to familiarize themselves with the communities in which they are building; what is the local economy like for residents? How is the air quality here and how would it be affected if this structure is put here? What would need to be removed from the environment? What would need to be added? It's these sort of considerations that I think matter a great deal.

It's also important to be mindful of the community demographic, as studying the building styles and cultural values of the community can give designers a better insight to how to best work on their project. Hence, why it's important that the field of architecture becomes (a lot) more inclusive of diversity. Urban Environmentalists is a great starting point for anyone interested in the subject; UE is an organization that advocates for affordable housing/equitable shelter, equitable urban planning and efficient transportation. As the name would suggest, they care deeply about environmentalism, sharing space and building for the people. Any great architect understands this as UE puts it, "We promote vibrant, diverse urban communities that nurture their inhabitants and benefit society, and provide abundant housing and opportunities for all."

Another organization that values social justice and diversity as the center for their work with the environment is Green America. Green America explain that justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are central to their work because Black Brown and LGBTQ+ communities face the most severe repercussions as it pertains to social justice issues and environmental crises. So Green America works to raise awareness about global issues by hosting petitions, collecting donations and providing tips/resources on how to be an ecologically conscious consumer and member of society.