ARCHITECTURE + ADVOCACY

from Madelene Dailey 2022-2023 Portfolio

Photography

WHO WE ARE

OUR TEAM We are a student-run organization focused on social justice through the built environment. We volunteer our time to organize workshops, community events, and community service projects for South LA.

OUR MISSION Architecture + Advocacy (A+A) empowers communities to un-design the spatial injustices affecting their neighborhoods.

OUR VISION We believe everyone, not just trained architects, should have a hand in designing their homes, businesses, and neighborhoods.

WHAT WE DO

Spring 2022 Family Day

Architecture teaches us that because inequalities in the spatial environment were designed by human actions, they can be un-designed. Our program advocates that architecture is more than just designing buildings, and can be used as a community tool to create system-level change.

We offer a design practice where everyone gets an opportunity to reflect on their lived experiences, listen to the experiences of others, and collaborate to design equitable solutions in their neighborhoods. We provide a space to take action creatively, together.

A+A helps communities take back a seat at the table and shape new, empowered narratives about who they are and what they can be.

More information about our program can be found on our website: https://architectureandadvocacy.org/

WHO WE SERVE

We started three years ago in response to USC’s lack of resources, documented narratives, and connections for the school’s surrounding neighborhoods through architecture.

While empowering USC students to speak out on issues of discrimination, we offer ways to use the architectural design process to build power in surrounding communities and enable the next generation of change makers to take action in their own neighborhoods.

Some of our partner organizations and nonprofits include LA Unified School District (LA USD), LA Commons, DIY Girls, AIA ACLA, and LA Trade-Technical College.

Hybrid High Charrette Celebration

Spring 2022 Family Day

USC Leadership Workshop LA Commons Expo Event

OUR PROJECTS

We offer free workshops to students K-12th grades. Our workshops range from 5-7 weeks, and focus on introducing students to careers in STEM-related fields. Students have the opportunity to identify spatial injustices affecting their neighborhoods, design community-oriented and sustainably-driven projects, and meet licensed professionals.

Throughout the semester we recruit and train USC student volunteers to organize community days where our workshop participants, USC students, and community members can meet one another and continue discussions of accessibility and equity around LA. For these events we strive to work with local businesses and grassroots organizations to help support them whenever we can.

Sample photos of our workshop ‘Empathy Walk’. - Students are given disposable cameras to record their daily walks to and from school. Through this activity students identify spaces of cultural significance, resource accessibility, and human interaction.