AIAD:COMMONS | AfroUrbanism & REPAIRations w/ Lauren Hood

Originally Produced for American Institute of Architects Detroit

Practitioners in architecture and design are conditioned to view Black communities (and other communities of color) as monolithic and of lesser value. It is no wonder that development outcomes fail to serve the real client: the citizens that will be most impacted by the work. This course will challenge participants to interrogate their misconceptions, and provide them with guiding principles to make their work more culturally relevant. In this session, we’ll explore the concept of REPAIRations, a provocative new first step approach for restoring “swagger” to Black communities; the state from which a community’s physical, social and economic growth can occur.

Lauren A. Hood is a native Detroiter and AfroUrbanist working at the intersection of Black aspiration and city change. Applying a reparations lens to the work, Lauren employs the strategies of storytelling, visioning and relationship building to address a community’s past harms, present needs and future hopes & dreams.

Visit https://www.laurenahood.com/about to learn more!