All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture

Towards the Future of Social Change

Farhana Ferdous, Bryan Bell, Farhana Ferdous, Bryan Bell

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000284355
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architektur
• Subtopic: Nachhaltigkeit in der Architektur

Should all-inclusive engagement be the major task of architecture? All-Inclusive Engagement in Architecture: Towards the Future of Social Change presents the case that the answer is yes. Through original contributions and case studies, this volume shows that socially engaged architecture is both a theoretical construct and a professional practice navigating the global politics of poverty, charity, health, technology, neoliberal urbanism, and the discipline's exclusionary basis.

The scholarly ideas and design projects of 58 thought leaders demonstrate the architect's role as a revolutionary social agent. Exemplary works are included from the United States, Mexico, Canada, Africa, Asia, and Europe. This book offers a comprehensive overview and in-depth analysis of all-inclusive engagement in public interest design for instructors, students, and professionals alike, showing how this approach to architecture can bring forth a radical reformation of the profession and its relationship to society.

Part 1

Pedagogical Engagement

1.1 Modes of Interaction

Categorizing and Valuing Community-Engaged Teaching

Liz Kramer

Introduction

Using curriculum to engage social issues and community partners is widely seen as a valuable asset at universities. Boosted by efforts such as the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement’s 2011 report “A Crucible Moment” and the work of Campus Compact, and demonstrated by countless endeavors at universities across the country, campuses are utilizing engaged teaching and learning as a crucial part of cultivating students’ skills and preparing them as citizens. There is a value in understanding structured ways to incorporate social engagement and community partners into curriculum to institutions, disciplines, and instructors.

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (2015) serves as a national system to recognize higher education institutions’ commitment to community engagement. The classification defines community engagement as “collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity.” The purpose of this engagement is:

the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.

(Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, 2015)

Achieving mutual benefit in exchanges of knowledge and resources requires specific skills and support for all participants, including those from universities and the community. This idea of mutual benefit provides a broad framework to think about how community engagement and curriculum may interface, and yet requires greater specificity in order to create systems within an institution to support this type of work. The Modes of Interaction framework, described in this chapter, helps to break down the specifics of curricular projects that may fall under the umbrella of community engagement as defined by the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification.

Community Defined

Community is used in this chapter to describe entities primarily outside of the university—such as individuals, groups, neighborhoods, cities, organizations, or institutions—that knowingly participate in collaboration with an institution of higher education. The Pittsburgh Model of Community Engagement in Higher Education (Jacob et al., 2015) illustrates the levels of community engagement radiating outward from an institution of higher education: local, state, national, regional, and international. This model highlights the importance of the relationship with the local community as an essential, reciprocal connection for the success of both the community and the institution of higher education.

Community-Engaged Teaching (CET) Defined

In a curricular context, engaged teaching may be known as service learning, experiential learning, community-based teaching and learning, or a variety of other terms depending on institutional context, learning objectives, and the purpose of the engagement. For this chapter, all of these types of teaching will be referred to as community-engaged teaching (Bring Your Own Idea Report, 2015). This term was identified by an interdisciplinary group of Washington University faculty and staff as being the most inclusive and representing engagement with the community in a variety of capacities.

Socially Engaged Practice Defined

As in the Carnegie Classification definition, addressing critical social issues is core to approaching engaged teaching. We utilize the term socially engaged practice to refer to curriculum, research, practice, and other work that deals with these critical social, economic, and environmental issues, regardless of if the work is community-engaged as previously defined. For students engaged in an aesthetic, form-based, or making-oriented program such as architecture, design, or fine arts, there is exceptional value to learning directly about critical issues. Most programs in these disciplines tackle these issues through curriculum—studios, seminars, projects, lectures, and other formats. For example, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) maintains a Sourcebook of Community Design Programs at Schools of Architecture in North America (Community Design Directory Charts, 2015), and between 2000 and 2014, the number of organizations compiled that use architecture experience to advance the public good grew from 70 organizations to over 200. These organizations engage students in tackling critical issues through curriculum, employment, and co-curricular opportunities. While these trends have been widely researched in architecture education, new programs in social impact design, community arts, and social practice illustrate that the same trends hold true in design and art.

Washington University in St. Louis: Context

At Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), faculty across all disciplines utilize engaged pedagogy in their teaching, both to enhance student learning and development, and to create meaningful relationships and impact in communities outside of the academy. WashU has made significant commitments to engaged teaching and to its role in the St. Louis, Missouri, region, including through the Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement (discussed later); over 75 courses that include a community-based component; and significant institutional support for community engagement in curriculum, research, and operations.

Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts consists of the College and Graduate School of Art, the College and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design, and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Programs include graduate and undergraduate degrees in architecture, fine art, landscape architecture, urban design, communication design, and fashion design. Students and faculty at the Sam Fox School have a long history of community engagement and community-engaged teaching. For example, architecture students have completed not only design/build projects but have also contributed to substantial community development initiatives, created proposals for adaptive reuse, and contributed directly through service to the St. Louis region. Illustration students have documented organizations and individuals. For 30 years, students have proposed and installed temporary works of public art in nearby municipalities. As a practice-based program, engaged teaching is core to the approach of the faculty and the desires of the students.

The Office for Socially Engaged Practice at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Established in 2015, the Office for Socially Engaged Practice is a hub and a resource for supporting collaborative, socially engaged practices of art, architecture, and design. Founded to support the role of Washington University as an anchor institution in the St. Louis region, and to build on the existing strength of practice-based work, the office has three primary goals:

1. 1. Elevate and sustain existing and emerging community collaborations.
2. 2. Provide every member of the Sam Fox community opportunities to participate in socially engaged work.
3. 3. Disseminate research and practice related to socially engaged work.

This includes a variety of roles within the school, including one-on-one support for faculty, developing infrastructure and procedures for socially engaged work, and supporting management of specific projects in-depth. The office consists of one full-time staff member supported by two part-time interns from art or architecture, and three part-time practicum students from the School of Social Work, who support evaluation, research, and program development.

Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement

One of the Office for Socially Engage Practice’s closest collaborators is the Gephardt Institute for Civic & Community Engagement (Gephardt Institute). Founded in 2006, the institute cultivates informed and actively engaged citizens. It has four goals:

1. 1. Catalyze civic engagement among students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
2. 2. Foster student learning, engagement, and leadership in civic life.
3. 3. Support faculty excellence and impact through community-based teaching and engaged scholarship.
4. 4. Serve as the university’s convener for campus and community groups in St. Louis, facilitating partnerships, dialogue, and volunteer assistance.

The Gephardt Institute offers a variety of programs, resources, and tools, including funding, consultation for faculty and students, and awards that acknowledge and celebrate civic engagement throughout the university community. As a central institute, the ten staff and two faculty fellows are committed to working across schools throughout campus.

Modes of Interaction

The Modes of Interaction framework was developed within this context at WashU and the Sam Fox School, resulting from a desire to provide support to a range of different practices that address socially engaged practice while building a culture of mutual benefit, respect, and reciprocity with community partners. Framing by mode is valuable within the context of the school as it clearly identifies expectations of relationships and support for each mode.

Method of Development

Prior to the founding of the Office for Socially Engaged Practice in 2015, the author conducted a nine-month exploration within the Sam Fox School. Content gathered through one-on-one interviews with current and former faculty, students, university stakeholders, and community partners was analyzed. Recent initiatives and projects were reviewed in-depth, and the content of courses was evaluated based on deliverables, syllabus content, learning outcomes, and faculty reflection. In order to synthesize data from a range of sources, and to develop visualizations that would be useful in organizing conversations and resources, a variety of visual frameworks were created. The Modes of Interaction framework proved to be especially useful in validating a number of critical points, includi...