Social Equity
Social equity in the built environment requires careful attention to justice and fairness. In the building world, social equity involves three main concerns:
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Who is on the project team? Is it a diverse, inclusive group?
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Who is consulted in the design process? Have people in the neighborhood been asked—and listened to—about their needs and concerns?
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Who makes the products and materials used in construction, and who is actually installing them? Are these people fairly treated, equitably paid, and provided with appropriate workplace protections?
Learn here about how to consider social equity throughout your process, from site selection to product selection.
Social Equity
Deep Dives
Get up to speed on complex topics. You can also earn CEUs and download PDF Spotlight Reports.
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Equity in Design and Construction: Seven Case Studies
Feature Article
From an affordable multifamily building to an iconic museum, these projects are designed and built to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion -
Re-forming the Building Industry: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Feature Article
People from marginalized communities are shockingly underrepresented in the U.S. building industry. It’s past time to change that.
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Community-Scale Sustainability: Accelerating Change for People and Planet
Feature Article
By working at the neighborhood scale, designers and developers can more dramatically improve environmental performance and social equity.
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Affordable Housing and Sustainable Design: The Goals Are Aligned
Feature Article
Green building is not just for those with means.
Quick Takes
Jump straight to the essentials with these short explanations of green building concepts.
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Social Equity Frameworks for the Building Industry
Infographic
Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) issues have come to the fore for many firms. But how do you assess, implement, and evaluate your efforts? These frameworks can do the heavy lifting.
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Social Sustainability and Architecture
Primer
Architects can increase social value through thoughtful design of the built environment.
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Certified Communities: When Greening Neighborhoods One Building at a Time Isn’t Enough
Primer
A comparison of community-scale certification programs.
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Ethnography: A Creative Tool for Human-Centered Design
Primer
Social science research methods can generate innovative and sophisticated design solutions that respond to human needs and cultural values.
In The News
We break news down to the essentials and provide expert analysis.
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Racism, Sexism Rampant in Built Environment Workplaces
News Brief
Discrimination at work is common for building professionals: 72% percent of Blacks and African Americans, and 66% of women say they’ve experienced it.
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NAACP Offers an Equity Toolkit for Building Projects
News Brief
Extensive guidelines published by NAACP help put community residents in the driver’s seat.
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Trauma-Informed Design: A New Social Equity Imperative
News Analysis
Trauma-informed design applies the principles of “trauma-informed care,” helping prevent re-traumatization while reducing stress for everyone. -
Justice, Circularity Overhauled in Cradle to Cradle v4
News Analysis
The latest version of the Cradle to Cradle product standard also expands embodied carbon requirements and replaces the controversial “banned list” with a new approach.
Perspective
Thought-provoking opinions from the most trusted minds in sustainability.
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What I Learned on the Way to Enhancing AIA’s Code of Ethics
Op-Ed
Getting stronger sustainability language into the AIA Code of Ethics wasn’t easy.
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Why Standing Rock Matters to Green Building (and How You Can Help)
Op-Ed
The green building community must choose its battles carefully. And Standing Rock should be one of those battles.
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Building Products Matter Even More Than We Thought
Op-Ed
Operational energy use is critical, but materials might be an even bigger part of the solution to climate change and other pressing environmental issues.
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Three Steps To Make Green Globes Part of the Solution
Op-Ed
An entry-level alternative pushing LEED to get better would be great, but GBI’s Green Globes needs to start by joining the green building community.
Learning Resources
Syllabus supplements and CEU content, with automatic reporting for AIA and GBCI.
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Equity in Design and Construction: Seven Case Studies
Feature Article
From an affordable multifamily building to an iconic museum, these projects are designed and built to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion -
Re-forming the Building Industry: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Feature Article
People from marginalized communities are shockingly underrepresented in the U.S. building industry. It’s past time to change that.
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How to Build Green At No Added Cost
Feature Article
Avoiding cost premiums on green projects is not only possible: it's a good idea, focusing design teams on simple, effective designs that can deliver savings for years to come.
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Green Design: What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Feature Article
Beauty, place-making, and even love are motivating many green designers, who see these values complementing core sustainability tenets.
