Housing inequities in American communities will be exacerbated by dismantled rule.

WASHINGTON – July 29, 2020 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) condemns the recently announced rollback of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) provision (2015) of the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

Under the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, communities receiving federal subsidies were required to analyze racial segregation in housing and then submit plans to reverse such trends. The AFFH rule had been weakened in recent years. In 2018, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) eliminated the Local Government Assessment Tool, which was designed to help local governments combat racial segregation in subsidized housing. However, the Administration’s latest actions have officially nullified the original AFFH rule and its intent.

AIA 2020 Annual Meeting

The AIA 2020 annual meeting will be called to order at 1pm (ET) on September 1, 2020. The meeting will be conducted by means of electronic communication (virtually). Delegates will be able to participate in the proceedings of the meeting by means of such electronic communication in a manner that will be disclosed directly to delegates following accreditation. The agenda will include adoption of the rules of conduct for the meeting; call for nominations from the floor; report of the Credentials Committee; report of the Resolutions Committee; report of the Institute’s financial status; and reports from the AIA President and others as time permits. Time is also reserved for a “town hall,” allowing for delegates to speak on matters of interest.

No amendments to the Institute Bylaws will be under consideration, and no resolutions are scheduled for consideration, during this year’s annual meeting.

The National Organization of Minority Architects and the American Institute of Architects' Large Firm Roundtable have issued the following statement and letter strengthening their partnership and their support of taking action to combat systemic racism in architecture.

To The Architectural Community:

Now more than ever, it is vital that we stand together to combat the insidious impact of racism in our profession. Not only does racism harm our Black colleagues, it compromises our collective ability to protect the healthy, safety and welfare of the public. The time for change is now.

In the letter [linked below] from the American Institute of Architect's Large Firm Roundtable (LFRT) to the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), there is language underscoring LFRT's commitment to supporting NOMA in addressing the negative impact of cultural and racial bias in the profession. We want to be clear that this is not hollow language or lip service, it is a true commitment to facilitate a stronger working relationship between LFRT firms and NOMA to transform our profession for the benefit of all.