Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Engagement Rubric_v9
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC
Taking action to support diversity, equity, and inclusion is about more than “doing good”—it improves the standard and quality of living for everyone. In the workplace, diversity and inclusion is linked to higher engagement, creativity, and productivity. Companies that are perceived as more empathetic enjoy a better reputation and experience faster growth. And equitable societies are more stable, healthy, and resilient.
Empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another—is foundational to our human-centered design philosophy. When we truly understand the motivations, thoughts, and feelings of others it helps us to create spaces that serve their needs. It enables us to engage, connect, and support a diverse set of users.
As architects, the built environment is our instrument of change, and through it we have a unique opportunity to make a positive impact. An approach that supports diversity, equity, and inclusion is fundamental to our philosophy of human-centered design—and it creates a better future for us all.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC
“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
- Verna Myers
Diversity
“Diversity is the representation of all our varied identities and differences (race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, tribe, caste, socio-economic status, thinking and communication styles, etc.), collectively and as individuals. We seek to proactively engage, understand, and draw on a variety of perspectives. We believe that the solution to the problems we hope to address through our grant making can be found by affirming our similarities, as well as by finding value in our differences.”
Equity
“Equity seeks to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all. We believe this is only possible in an environment built on respect and dignity.”
Inclusion
“ Inclusion builds a culture of belonging by actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people. We believe every person’s voice adds value, and we strive to create balance in the face of power differences. We believe that no one person can or should be called upon to represent an entire community.”
Definitions via the Ford Foundation https://www.fordfoundation.org/about/people/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC
Approach
To engage stakeholders and ensure that all of their voices are heard, the Design Strategy team at Perkins Eastman proposes the following three-step process.
Step 1: Understand the Team
This tool provides a framework for pre-engagement that can be adapted to multiple project types. It is designed to help our teams build a holistic project understanding while uncovering insights and opportunities that can make our design process more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
Team Identity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion begin with the assembly of a diverse and inclusive project team. Diverse teams provide the benefit of multiple perspectives, experiences, and expertise. At the start of teach project, assembled teams should examine their own prejudices and preconceptions, and take steps to “interrupt” biased thinking and behaviors. Open communication will help to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are carried through all phases of the project.
Step 2: Establish Context
Location
How might the surrounding community be impacted directly or indirectly by this project?
Are there opportunities to uplift the community through this project?
Community Member Personas
Use the following three questions to create a diverse set of “user personas” that are representative of the community: What are their defining characteristics (age, background, socioeconomic status, and education level, etc.)?
What issues and challenges are they currently facing? What are their primary concerns?
What are their motivations, interests, and desires?
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC
Environmental Outlook
What environmental impacts will this project have on the community?
Are there prevalent health disparities within the local community that are impacted by the environment?
How can your project contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future?
Current Events
How might current events affect or compromise our work on this project? Can they be mitigated through discussion and/or compromise?
What is the nature of the past and current relationship between the client and the surrounding community? What are the potential challenges and opportunities?
Challenges/Disruptions
Has the community and/or the client experienced recent disruption that may influence the project? Are there any potential threats or disturbances on the horizon?
Can you identify potential future disruptions that the community/client may face?
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC
Opportunities
What is the community missing?
How might the needs of the community evolve over time, and how can our project address those potential changes?
How can we help the client to maintain a positive long-term relationship with the community?
Are all community voices being represented? How can we better engage community members who are not directly participating in the process?
How can the community be represented in the project?
Step 3: Engage Community
Ask client leadership to reach out to a cross-section of users representing the local community. Within these sessions, community representatives will be led through a series of exercises to address questions and outline a guiding vision for the project.
Informed by feedback from the visioning sessions, our team will propose a series of unobtrusive, informational signboards to invite feedback from community members. This may include interactive displays, such as “dot-voting” on inspirational images or asking viewers to provide feedback on how they would like their community to be perceived and/or what they would like it to achieve 5-10 years in the future.
Step 4: Uphold Intent
Analyze information collected from visioning sessions and larger community outreach to determine major findings and design recommendations. These findings and recommendations will be presented to client leadership to reach consensus on next steps. After incorporating leadership feedback, we will issue a final findings report to act as a reference and guide for the entire project.
