ASSESS CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EQUITY FACTORS
Project teams are required to acknowledge, and in some way, reflect and support, the human environment of the site. Project teams must develop an understanding of the neighborhood/community and its identity, needs, and assets, and must factor into their decision-making how the project might impact the community, both positively and negatively. The project team should strive not only to avoid negative impacts, but also to look beyond the building’s fundamental program for opportunities to benefit the community, and to create a structure that honors the existing assets of the neighborhood, as well as its culture. From the outset of the design process, community needs and assets should inform both the design process and the design of the project itself.
COMMUNITY
The term “community” can mean human connections derived from common experiences, interests, and/or relationships to a place. For purposes of this Imperative, the focus is on the people connected to the project location. There is no hard and fast definition that will apply to all projects, but the idea is to understand who is likely to feel the impacts of the project, either positively or negatively. Project teams should consider different spheres of impact and a full range of stakeholders, with the focus going beyond the intended users of the building. How far the community extends will depend on the scale of the project and the degree of change to existing conditions the project represents.
CULTURAL AND SOCIAL EQUITY
The concept of equity is not easily encapsulated by a single definition. While equity is often cast in terms of equal opportunity, it is more fully thought of in terms of fairness and equality of outcomes. It is not simply about inclusion and parity of access, but concerns equality of experience, dignity, and respect. Equity issues can cross generations, encompassing redress of persistent disadvantages resulting from historical injustice, as well as the fair distribution of burdens and benefits passed on to future generations.
The umbrella of cultural and social equity is broad, touching on wealth, health, well-being, privilege, opportunity, ethnicity, and other aspects of cultural identity. Such an inclusive construct is meant to provide flexibility to project teams as indicated by the particular situation and context of a site, rather than imposing an expectation that every project team should investigate the community’s relationship to every conceivable indicator. Project teams should remain open to the variety of ways that the project might intersect with the community. When approaching the design process without preconceptions of how a project can be an asset to its neighbors, the project team may find opportunities for positive impacts where they were not initially expected.
This graphic illustrates some basic concepts about equality and equity that are useful when considered in the abstract. However, it is less effective as a metaphor for the actual experience of social inequity and justice for many. Although this graphic improves upon an image used previously by focusing on systemic issues rather than individual differences, it also implies that inequality occurs naturally (as a tree may naturally grow into a bent position); in reality, inequity is a reflection of intentionally designed systems of oppression that are not easily dismantled or transformed. For a discussion of the layers embedded in social inequities as revealed by the search for a single graphic representation, see this post from Cultural Organizing.
Thanks to Monica Delgado for suggesting this alternative graphic. Credit for this graphic goes to Greater Education Colorado’s “Bridge the Gap: Equity Room,” adapted from “Addressing Imbalance,” by Tony Ruth for John Maeda’s 2019 Design in Tech Report. Credit for the further analysis of this graphic goes to Richard Leong. The Institute welcomes suggestions for alternative graphics or other feedback at lbc.support@living-future.org.
ASSESSMENT
There are a number of ways to approach the assessment of cultural and social equity factors and needs in the community. Project teams can analyze hard data such as place-specific demographic and census information such as age, race, gender, languages spoken at home, home ownership and rental rates, homelessness rates, family income, and levels of educational attainment. Relational aspects such as the current and historical social and racial context, as well as the extent of cultural hubs, local organizations, advocacy networks, public gathering places, and other community assets, can also offer an important part of the picture.
Once key characteristics are identified for a project site and community, it can be helpful to do mapping exercises to help visualize how different aspects of the community relate to each other and how the project might interact with them. While it is not required, project teams are encouraged to connect with existing local community organizations that are actively engaged with, and representative of, the community to bring issues and opportunities to life and to “ground-truth” their assessment and any proposed design or process responses (see Resources for community tools).
Regardless of the specifics of the approach, the assessment must include an effort to identify any underserved or disinvested populations that could be affected by the project and to understand how their needs and assets could be addressed by the project.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
As a starting point to guide the assessment of cultural and social equity factors and needs in the community, the following is a list of questions that must be answered with respect to the specific site and community:
- What defines the neighborhood and community surrounding the project site? The reach of this question should go beyond political boundaries and reflect the human and cultural dimensions of the community.
- What are the primary needs and assets of the neighborhood or community?
- Who are the most vulnerable or disinvested populations in the community? What are their needs and assets?
- How can the project avoid negative impacts to the neighborhood or community?
- How can the project help meet the needs and/or further the assets of the community, including its most disinvested?
- How might the project reflect and advance the history, culture, and aspirations of the communities of which it is a part?
- How might the project reflect the local culture?
POTENTIAL IMPACTS
The goal of the assessment is to spark creative ideas that influence the project to contribute positively to the community. The possible ways in which the assessment might influence the project are as various as the people and places surrounding it. For example, projects might:
- Emphasize inclusive design throughout the building, beyond minimum accessibility requirements, in a community that has a large aging population.
- Provide a park in a community that does not have adequate open space.
- Provide affordable retail space for local businesses or affordable community space for neighbors and local organizations.
- Provide translation services or multilingual signs in a community where something other than the region’s official language is spoken at home.
- Install interpretative art or other materials to commemorate local history, such as an acknowledgment of Indigenous territory or the historical legacy of slavery, or to celebrate local people or events that have made singular contributions to the local community.
- Facilitate community participation in the design process itself.
GAUGING COMMUNITY RESPONSE
It is important to consider how the project is received by the community in order to understand the project’s actual, versus predicted, impacts. Community members may provide insight at local events and/or community forums about how they use public spaces in and around the project. They also might write letters to a local publication, or the project may be written up online or addressed in local media. The project team may want to actively solicit feedback through a survey, distributed by the project team, owner, or other related entity (e.g., making the survey available at the local city hall). Regardless of method, documentation of the community response is required and should be collected during the performance period.
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER IMPERATIVES
While requirements contained in Imperative 17, Universal Access, and Imperative 18, Inclusion, are aligned with the equity intent of this Imperative, project teams must go beyond what is required for those Imperatives in order to comply with the requirements of this Imperative.
Note that the information gathered for the social and cultural equity factors and needs assessment may help to inform compliance with other Imperative requirements, such as those related to access to food in Imperative 02, Urban Agriculture or handprinting options for affordable housing projects in Imperative 06, Net Positive Water. Alternatively, the Biophilic Design Exploration and context studies required under the Imperative 19, Beauty + Biophilia could contribute information relevant to this assessment.
