Kaarin Knudson, AIA
Eugene Architect Running for Mayor
Kaarin Knudson, AIA, is an architect, educator, writer, and housing advocate—she’s also a candidate to be the next Mayor of Eugene. (Ballots are due by Tuesday, May 21 and Knudson is endorsed by nearly 300 community officials and organizations.)
Kaarin has been a leader on housing issues and sustainable urban design since founding her own firm and the housing advocacy organization Better Housing Together in 2017. She teaches the graduate workshop on urban design at the University of Oregon and recently co-authored The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, a comprehensive textbook of best practices to address sustainability in cities. Over the past 20 years, she has served on numerous nonprofit boards and statewide advisory committees, and worked on architecture projects that have earned AIA design awards at the interior, building, neighborhood, and urban scales.
Why are you running for Mayor?
The future I see for our community includes abundant housing, welcoming public spaces, a healthy local economy, and meaningful action on climate and equity. I know we can do this work in an integrated way that helps us to be more resilience, prosperous, and better connected to each other.
I’ve lived in Eugene for 20 years and, this past decade, my work has focused on sustainable cities, housing advocacy, and coalition building. As I’m running for mayor, that feels like direct, relevant experience. But my ability to support a shared community vision is probably the most important job qualification. I have a track record of working with a wide range of people to find solutions to difficult challenges—including my work to help create Eugene’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has already built $44 million in new affordable housing. Given the housing and homelessness crisis we face, this is important work to build on.
In 2022, I also gave a keynote at the Oregon Design Conference titled “Organizing & Mobilizing.” My talk was structured around how architects can provide the translational leadership needed to accomplish positive community change, especially with homelessness, housing, climate, equity. I shared a lot of my work from this past decade—most of it focused on housing innovation and sustainable urban design—and I was hoping that some architects might leave with the idea to get more involved. I reflected on that, too, and when people asked me to consider public office again, it felt like the right time.
Are Architect-Mayors common?
I don’t know that we’ve ever had one in Oregon—but I know they are out there. A colleague in Seattle connected me with an old friend of his who is an Architect-Mayor in South Carolina. I’ve read about a few in L.A. County. And a decade ago, I brought Maurice Cox to Eugene to speak at a public lecture I organized for the AIA. He had just been Mayor of Charlottesville, VA. I reconnected with him when the Architecture Foundation of Oregon honored Don Stastny in 2017.
But I’ve always been interested in how architects can lead beyond the scope of individual projects. I think we’re all motivated by that; becoming an elected official is just another way of approaching the design problem. Among professionals, I think we’re relatively comfortable with dynamic complexity, and that composes most of civic life. The work of building, for me, has always been centered on the architect’s role as a connector and collaborator. We spend a lot of time thinking about how cities and places could be better, and we constantly think about accomplishing more than one goal at a time. The goal is to contribute to a more livable, equitable, sustainable city and I am excited to get started on that work as Mayor.
Do you see parallels between architecture and running for office?
I do see a lot of parallels. The phases of a campaign feel similar to design phases. Early decisions influence everything that follows. But especially, to me, the practice of architecture feels like excellent training for public service—listening, imagining, communicating, and doing, usually with a complex team under time and resource constraints.
And, like all projects, campaigns have milestones and deadlines. The primary election next week is a major one, as it’s possible to win the election outright by earning more than 50% of votes cast. But with one week to go, only 2 in 10 voters have taken the time to return a ballot. Which means there are a lot of votes still out there. If there’s one sitting on your kitchen counter, please take the time to vote this week. Architecture typically takes years, but voting takes minutes.
Kaarin Knudson, AIA, can be reached at KaarinForMayor.com. Vote by Tuesday, May 21.