and 1100 Architect
By David Piscuskas, FAIA, LEED AP
There may be no uniform consensus as to the qualities that characterize good leadership. To some, a person’s ability to inspire others to action is critical. To others, passion and patience, or confidence and focus, are valued leadership qualities. To me, and perhaps to many others, honesty and integrity are essential. These core values often underpin effective communication and clear judgment, facilitating the task of making difficult decisions and owning their consequences. Successful leaders possess many of these qualities, and many others that motivate people toward reaching common goals. Yet, no matter the exact combination of attributes one ascribes to an effective leader, it’s likely that, of late, many of us have been thinking long and hard about leadership.
Indeed, the present political climate, both nationally and internationally, has impacted much of our thinking this year at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIANY) It has also affected our programming, as demonstrated by the launch of a new initiative to cultivate and train the next generation of civic leaders in our profession. Conceived by the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee, the Civic Leadership Program (CLP) will develop an inaugural class of young professionals into astute advocates on issues that impact their profession, community, and themselves.
This new program was directly inspired by the groundswell of energy and interest in our civic realm following last year’s election. Members, particularly young practitioners, were eager to get more involved with government and use their unique set of skills to enact change. Following a rigorous application and selection process, AIANY selected ten talented and socially committed young professionals to participate in year-long training to develop civic leadership skills.
The program is founded on the idea that architects, through their education and professional experiences, are distinctly qualified to creatively solve civic problems, as well as to build consensus around these solutions. The CLP seeks to foster these community-oriented, consensus-building skills and apply them to the challenges our young professionals identify as critical to the future of their communities.
Even with their diverse backgrounds, perspectives and job titles, this inaugural class of leaders is united in their message: to make long-lasting improvements to New York City and beyond, architects are needed in public leadership positions, now more than ever. During our kickoff event last month, Congressman, Ambassador, and architect Richard Swett shared that sentiment and encouraged the group to become more active.
Our vision is to fuel the next generation of AIA leadership by improving our organization’s culture of advocacy and supporting emerging voices with additional resources and guidance. We believe engaged young leaders are better equipped to challenge or support policies that impact the future of the profession, and become influencers within our city, state, and nation government.
The inaugural class has identified specific issues to address during their private development sessions, which inform two public programs at the Center for Architecture this fall. The curriculum focuses on relevant issues including land use and public space debates; public development and infrastructure projects; sustainability and resilience initiatives; public interest design; public funding mechanisms; and the interconnection of local, state and national politics. In the years to come, we believe we will learn the beneficial effects of this commitment to the public good.
David Piscuskas, FAIA, LEED AP is the 2017 president of AIA New York and the founding partner at 1100 Architect, New York, N.Y.
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