2018 Annual WASLA Conference

Motif Seattle, March 16, 2018

3:00 - 4:00 pm
Cultivating Diversity through Equitable and Inclusive Design

Description:

Resonate. As landscape architects entrusted to design for diversity, how can we ensure that equity and inclusivity resonate through our work? How do we ensure that discrimination isn't the lasting impact of our work? Our current social and political climate has shed light on previously unrecognized or ignored discriminatory practices that are both pervasive and ingrained in our structural, institutional, and societal systems.

As landscape architects working with and for diverse people and communities we have a professional obligation to be inclusive and treat our clients, colleagues, consultants, allied professionals, and the community at large equitably. Now is the time to acknowledge that we are not immune to perpetuating discriminatory practices through our work. Through a panel discussion, practitioners are invited, encouraged, and challenged to evaluate themselves and their practices to identify and remedy practices in their work that contribute to a culture of inequity and discrimination.

Lead Speaker:

Jennifer Montressor

Speaker Bios:

Jennifer Montressor, Landscape Architect, Berger Partnership
Jen is a landscape architect and urban designer with a background in art and psychology plus a love of the wilderness. She is interested in the relationship between the built and natural environments. Jen enjoys creating lively public spaces that invite experiential interactions between people and their environments, exploring all the possibilities of what makes a place unique and loved.

Margaret Knight, Architect, Schemata Workshop
Margaret is a licensed architect in the state of Washington, a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and co-chair of AIA Seattle's Diversity Roundtable committee, where she works to encourage and promote diversity within the architectural profession.

She is passionate about the role community engagement can play in the design process, especially for communities facing extreme challenges. Following her graduation from Cornell University, Margaret worked with Kounkuey Design Initiative to conduct participatory design workshops outside of Nairobi with the goal of creating public community spaces. Ensuring that both community leaders and community members were involved with each step of the process was at the heart of this work.

During her time at Schemata Workshop, a Seattle-based architecture firm, Margaret has worked on several affordable housing projects throughout the state of Washington. Most recently she has been engaged with Seattle's Central Area community to develop neighborhood specific design guidelines through a series of workshops and outreach events.

Karimah Edwards, Planner & Race and Social Justice Issue Coordinator, City of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Karimah is a capital projects planner for Seattle Parks and Recreation's Planning and Development division. She serves as division wide advocate to the City of Seattle's Social Justice Initiative Change Team. In her current position, Karimah leads public outreach and develops strategies to eliminate barriers for historically underrepresented communities to the public process. Karimah incorporates cultural and programming needs into the development of park and open space projects to ensure equity, health and inclusiveness are part of the final design. She has a diverse planning background having prior experience as an emergency management planner with a focus on serving vulnerable populations, assessing ADA compliance, and implementing universal design into preparedness planning. Karimah has served as a member of the Seattle Commission for People with disabilities Safety Committee and a volunteer for the Northwest Justice Project's Multicultural Legal Clinic.

Ubax Gardheere, Equitable Strategies Manager, City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development
Ubax is the Equitable Development Strategies Manager at the City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development, leading the Equitable Development Initiative. Ubax's core values are rooted in Social Justice and transformative practice. She prioritizes working toward equity, authentically listening to community and she has extensive experience in community development and building an inclusive vision with many of Seattle's communities of color. Ubax has been a program director with Puget Sound Sage, developing equitable land use policies such as affordable housing and equitable transit-oriented development, utilizing a race and social justice lens.

Francis Janes, JUST Manager, International Living Futures Institute
As the Social Justice Program Manager at the International Living Future Institute, Francis helps organizations worldwide in support of their efforts to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Through a consultative process, he assists organizations through the process of developing progressive policies, programs and practices that lead to more engaged, happier and more productive workplaces. Francis has served in a variety of leadership roles in a variety of sectors including information technology, financial services, global development and AEC. Prior to working at the Institute, he served as Vice President at Beneficial State Bank. Francis has a Certificate in Sustainable Business Management from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Susan Balbas, Executive Director, Na'ah Illahee Fund
Co-founder and Executive Director, community organizer, Susan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Teaching. From 2007-2012, she was a training and technical assistance specialist for multiple tribal youth programs for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Tribal Youth Programs through Education Development Center, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Boston. Susan carries valuable expertise in all levels of nonprofit operations and management. She has been an independent consultant working with tribes, artists and nonprofit organizations, the Chief Development Officer at United Indians of All Tribes Foundation in Seattle, Development and Donor Education Coordinator at Changemakers Foundation in San Francisco, Executive Director at the NAYA Youth and Family Center in Portland, Outreach Director at the Western Water Alliance in Seattle where she was the primary researcher on water and related environmental issues. She currently serves on the board of the Potlatch Fund in Seattle.

Miguel Maestras, Housing and Economic Development Director, El Centro de la Raza
Miguel Maestas is the Housing and Economic Development Director of El Centro de la Raza. Miguel is actively engaged in community development and organizing communities for advocacy and participation, and has distinguished himself as an effective leader and a respected community organizer.

He has worked in youth services, community development, organizing, and administration and education programs for 31 years. Through El Centro, Miguel worked as a youth case manager serving Latino students and families in the Seattle and Highline public schools. He also worked as the Executive Director of the West Central Community Development Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Miguel serves on the Tukwila Planning Commission and holds a BS in Early Childhood Multicultural Education from the University of New Mexico.

Learning Objectives:

• Acquire a basic understanding of structural, institutional, and individual racism and discrimination.

• Acquire a basic understanding of inclusion and equity (and equity vs. equality), and why inclusive and equitable projects and processes are important.

• Understand why a diverse workplace is important to our projects, outreach, and professional relationships, and how to achieve it.

• Understand that different cultures have different desires and needs, and explore examples of these differences. Learn why it is important to understand and acknowledge these differences. Understand how these differences impact projects, outreach, and professional relationships.

• Explore the barriers and constraints to achieving inclusion and equity in projects and professional relationships. Explore examples of successful projects and outreach.