#seed network

Sam de Jong, BNIM Architects and Planners.  

"The best individual intentions do not make a professional ethical standard. If public interest design is going to grow from a 'movement' of individuals into a valued field of professional practice, we need clear measures of performance for ourselves and for the public. These measures need to be made explicit."

"Unfortunately, only a sliver of the world’s population currently benefits from well-designed spaces in which to live their best lives. In fact, the most vulnerable of the world—the poor, the homeless, the elderly—are the least likely to have access to dignifying physical spaces. The same goes for vital public services. They’re also the least likely to have their voices heard in decisions made on their behalf.

We need to reverse these decades-old trends by creating a global design service corps. Modeled on the best practices of the Peace Corps, this pipeline could place our country’s (and ultimately others countries’) most promising young architects, designers, and engineers to work in community centers, health clinics, libraries, schools, social service agencies, even governments, and other mission-driven entities around the world.

...there is a massive appetite for these kinds of opportunities among the next generation of designers, but precious few opportunities." (read more)