By Beau Frail, AIA and Samantha Szeszulski, AIA
This article was originally published on AIA National’s website HERE

How can emerging professionals build stronger communities and advance their professional development at the same time?

We’ve all seen issues in our communities that would benefit from design solutions. From providing affordable housing to creating more equitable public spaces, the ways designers can help are plentiful. Social impact design aims to address complex challenges through a community-driven approach that places the public interest at the heart of the design process.

Practicing social impact design means considering more than just the financial bottom line. Architects and designers incorporate elements of social and environmental justice and engage with the community to ensure many voices shape the project.

Emerging professionals are increasingly seeing the value this work has in their communities and how working on such projects can be meaningful for their careers. While social impact design has unique challenges, young designers can find leadership opportunities and personal fulfillment by incorporating it into their careers.

Here are different ways you can get leverage your skills to benefit communities and grow in your career: (more…)