The Architecture Lobby (TAL) has put forth a set of guiding principles for architects to follow as debate over a potential Green New Deal takes shape across the industry.
According to a recently-published memo, TAL is pursuing a four-pronged approach for envisioning how architects can contribute to the decarbonization of the built environment while also instilling socially-just practices across the profession. While noting the incredible financial and professional opportunity architects can expect from the transformative set of public works that will be required to achieve decarbonization, the organization warns, "architectural work for the Green New Deal must not become another conduit for accumulating wealth at the top."
Instead, TAL argues, architects should "embrace decarbonization as a social justice issue that calls for a reconstruction of our way of life," adding, "We must redefine sustainability to acknowledge the economic, social, racial, and class-based dimensions of the climate crisis."1
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T-A-L Statement on the Green New Deal
The Architecture Lobby supports a Green New Deal, as proposed in House Resolution 109. We believe the redistribution of political and economic power outlined by the resolution is mandatory to effectively respond to the climate crisis. Like the crisis itself, the timetable for transformation is immediate and relentless. The Architecture Lobby is committed to the resolution’s call for a just transition. We call on architects, designers, and allied disciplines to join in the work of creating a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Reform Practice
In order to tackle decarbonization efforts more effectively, the way we work and the way the profession is structured must change. It is our responsibility to steer architectural practice toward projects and programs that promote democracy and equity in society. Architects must reject the current model of practice as a service profession responding primarily to private capital. We cannot create visions for a more just, equitable, and sustainable world if the cultures of our own studios and academies do not follow those principles.
Source: http://architecture-lobby.org/project/t-a-l-statement-on-the-green-new-deal/