GBBN Architects find ways to engage communities to create equitable development

Across the country, people are living in 30 million units of substandard housing that pose health problems — lead poisoning, gas leaks, and crumbling structures — which endangers the health of residents. This leads to life expectancies of 20–25 years less than other members of the same city.

Architects across the country — including Cincinnati’s GBBN — have started working with community members and untapped talent to find out what they really need and build trust. Among other things, this involves four levels of community engagement: one early on before design starts, one follow-up to get input on the development design and to confirm what we heard in the first session, and one to get final approval at the end of the design process.