NOMA magazine Spring 2013
The latest NOMA magazine arrived in the mail today. Our team worked hard putting this together. I hope the members and friends of NOMA enjoy this look back at last year’s conference. Please send your feedback to magazin [at] noma.net.
If you aren’t a member, think about joining. However, you can still view the PDF version on the NOMA website.
Filed under: African American Architects, Women architects | Leave a Comment
Tags: Detroit, magazine, NOMA, Noma conference 2012, NOMA magazine
AA architects: the numbers 2012
I started this venture almost three years ago, looking at the numbers of licensed African American architects. I wanted to know what the data said about the trend for people who look like me getting their architecture license in the US. I have yet to find anyone else doing this. However, if you know someone, please send me thier info. I would love to compare notes. As always my data comes directly from The Directory of African American Architects by Dennis Mann and Brad Grant.
Continue reading ‘AA architects: the numbers 2012’
Filed under: African American Architects, Women architects | Leave a Comment
Tags: african american architect, architecture license, daaa, data, woman architect
I was invited to expand a previously written post found here about NOMA and it’s importance on the organization’s 40th anniversary. This article was written for the American Planning Association (APA) Planning and the Black Community Division’s (PBCD) Winter newsletter which focused on social equity.
You can download the entire newsletter here.
Filed under: African American Architects, community, Community Design | Leave a Comment
Tags: african american architect, apa, Architecture, community design, community planning, pbcd, planning and the black community
It’s January; that means that a lot of students who received college acceptance letters are now working on financial aid applications. Several news outlets are covering the topic of low and moderate-income students’ experience getting in to and succeeding in college. I recieved a full scholarship for my undergraduate education. Without that scholarship, I would have been working or applying every year for grants and loans to pay for school. I had the chance to focus on my studies without the burden of worrying about how I was going to pay for it.
NPR’s article, Elite Colleges Struggle To Recruit Smart, Low-Income Kids, tells the story from the perspective of the colleges. The interviewer talks to Havard recruiters about their efforts to get low-income students to apply and enroll at the university. One of the obstacles is getting students, who don’t have mentors or other connections with people who have attended Ivy League schools, to look at these schools beyond the price tag. Without personal connections, many students do not consider this option.
Continue reading ‘Poverty and College: Overcoming for Success’
Filed under: community, Personal development | Leave a Comment
Older drivers on our streets
My last few posts have been related to transportation in communities. There seems to be a lot of stories in the news that have me reflecting on this.
A recent story on NPR’s Morning Edition reported on care features that make it easier for older people to remain in the drivers seat long into thier life. The article also characterized the features, like push buttons and rear cameras, as helping to make driving safer for everyone not just the elderly. Yes, making driving safer as our population ages is important. However, safe, walkable communities with good public transit would also be a viable solution to help people age-in-place and still enjoy a high quality of life.
The expert interviewed also said: “we plan for retirement — and we should plan to stop driving in the same way.”
Are you or a family member facing not being able to drive?
Flickr photo by epSos.de
Filed under: community | Leave a Comment
Tags: driving, transportation
An article was recently published in Atlantic Cities showing that over time cyclists and pedestrians spend more at local businesses because they visit the businesses more frequently than drivers. The data and graphs supports effort to make communities more pedestrian and bike friendly.
This quote about Portland, Oregon really struck me as I think about my suburban community: Continue reading ‘Cyclists and Pedestrians Outspend Drivers (Atlantic Cities)’
Filed under: community, Community Design | Leave a Comment
Tags: Atlantic Cities, biking, community design, pedestrians, transportation
Life celebrations
Last week my mom would have turned 62. We are all saddened she couldn’t be here. However, the number of people that reached out to us over the last month was an awesome testimony to her life and the value she gave to so many in her many community circles and the life lessons she taught us.
Continue reading ‘Life celebrations’
Filed under: community, home life | Leave a Comment
Tags: families
Earlier this summer, The Brookings Institution released a great paper discussing the problem of transit and jobs. Basically, the authors say transit exists where the jobs are but not where people live so people have a hard time actually getting from residential areas to employment centers.
Continue reading ‘Brookings research shows disconnect between workers and transit’
Filed under: community, Community Design | 1 Comment
Tags: community design, suburbs, The Brookings Institution, transit, urban life
noma conference: my marathon day
I went to the NOMA conference last month in Detroit. It was my first time in the city. Unfortunately home life made me shorten my trip so I was only there for about 36 hours. I had two goals: deliver the NOMA magazine on time to conference attendees and deliver my presentations well.
I ambitiously agreed to present in three seminars. Fortunately, in my limited time, they were all on the same day, and, luckily, I had short breaks between each. I know some may wonder why go through the trouble but I always like to share my work. Also, conferences are a great way to get the word out about something that is successful locally so others can use it.
Continue reading ‘noma conference: my marathon day’
Filed under: African American Architects, Personal development | Leave a Comment
Tags: african american architect, conference, NOMA
There were many good thoughts and ideas that grabbed my attention at the Design Futures Leadership Summit on Sustainability held in Portland in September. Here a few of the most memorable.
Take aways: 5 thoughts
1. Because there is no bold national advocacy on climate change the Overton Window is being shifted. -Alex Steffen, WorldChanging
2. “A pack of cities is racing away from everybody else in terms of their ability to attract and retain an educated workforce,” said Bruce Katz, director of the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy at the Brookings Institution. “It is a sobering trend for cities left behind.” -as quoted by Rob Bennett, Portland Sustainability Institute
3. Affordable housing policy of the last 65 years was drive until you qualify. -Dr. Richard Jackson, UCLA
4. TV took 13 years to get 50 million subscribers. Facebook took 12 months. Twitter took 9 months. -Riggs Kubiak, Honest Buildings, Inc
5. (my paraphrasing) The comet theory as metaphor for leadership: even a comet has stragglers at the end of it’s tail. They may be slow to catch up but they eventually follow the head. -Scott Poole, University of Tennessee
I could expand on any of theses thoughts but for now they will just marinate. do any of them resonate with you?
Previous DFC post: Books to read
Filed under: Personal development | 4 Comments
Tags: architects, design futures, dfc summit
