Building Justice: The Limits and Possibilities of Design

Event Pass Type	Price	Quantity
In-Person - Student with Valid ID	FREE	0 1
In-Person - General Public	$15.00 USD	0 1

Hosted by the AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP), this event offers an exploration of the challenges and possibilities facing architects when designing spaces for justice in the U.S., including both new detention facilities and alternative spaces. New innovations in designing spaces for justice will be presented, such as:

• Interdisciplinary approaches, user research, and findings
• Trauma-informed design and other interior design strategies
• Neighborhood integration of detention facilities
• Alternatives to incarceration, such as rehabilitative facilities and spaces for restorative justice processes

Together, we will discuss the power and limits of the design process as a means for change, and what it means for design professionals to engage in this work today. Architects should come away from the event with a deeper understanding of how they can contribute to broader systemic change, both incrementally and creatively, and how reformers with different approaches can work together to develop strategies for advocacy and innovation.

Leading the event from this year’s CLP cohort are Dora Blount, Ewan French, Samantha Dixon, and Maha Idrees.

Speakers:
Allan Co, AIA, AICP, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces; Founder, Crescere Collaborative
Jeff Goodale, AIA, NCARB, Senior Principal, Director of Civic + Justice, HOK
Dr. Paula Kliger, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Thinc Design; Founder, Psychological Assets
Aman Krishan, AIA, CoA, LEED GA, Design Principal, HOK
Beverly Prior, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB, DBIA, Vice President, Senior Program Manager, Borough Based Jails Program, AECOM-Hill Joint Venture
Patrick Stephens, MPS, Youth Services Leadership Fellow, Center for Community Alternatives

About the Speakers:
Allan Co is a licensed architect and certified planner with 20 years of experience of projects focusing on racial equity, social justice, and community resilience. Co founded Crescere Collaborative to engage work intersection of self-determination and community ownership, participatory design and planning, and innovative funding models across inclusive housing and equitable community development. In this capacity, Co began working with DJDS to expand their NYC portfolio, including work related to innovative transitional housing for reentry; restorative justice facilities; and workforce development spaces for formerly incarcerated. Prior to DJDS and Crescere, Co achieved measurable impact working with public entities and community based nonprofits at organizations including the Centre for Public Impact (a BCG foundation), Hester Street, Breaking Ground, the Rose Fellowship and Enterprise Community Partners.

Jeff Goodale is a director of HOK’s global Civic + Justice group and a leader at the forefront of rehabilitative design. For more than 35 years, he has contributed to some of the most transformative projects in the country, including the development of trauma-informed design drivers for social justice healing projects that aim to break the cycle of recidivism.Jeff’s experience spans programming, planning, design and construction of complex justice projects. These include courthouses, detention and correctional centers, police facilities, crime labs, emergency operations centers and reintegration facilities. He has been personally involved in the design and construction of new replacement facilities in Indianapolis, Detroit, Nashville and various other locations, and a new mental health hospital for the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Dr. Paula Kliger is the Founder/President of PsychAssets and Kliger Consulting Group, Founding/member of Black Psychoanalysts Speak, and has earned Harvard University’s Public Leadership Credential. She is Associate Head, Department of Psychoanalytic Education of American Psychoanalytic Association, and North America Region Representative of International Psychoanalytical Association, The Community and the World Committee: Prejudice, Discrimination & Racism. She develops art-informed Self-Study/Group Reflective practices for Transformational change, enhancing Relational Resonance, and Trauma Recovery. This work takes her around the world, including Russia, Ukraine, China, UK, Denmark, Portugal, Colombia, South Africa and across North America. Her diverse consultations involve lived experiences of children and their families, leaders in multi-national/multicultural contexts, family businesses, universities, nonprofits and communities. Paula is recognized for her research, award-winning illustrations and poetry, and as producer of the evocative docu-educational film: We Are Human First, earning the 2020 Hermes International Creative Gold Award for the podcast of the same name. She teaches Advanced Ethics at Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and is Clinical Assistant Professor at Wayne State University, School of Medicine.

Aman Krishan is currently a Design Principal with HOK, New York and serves on HOK’s global Design Board and Diversity Advisory Council. Krishan is a design leader and a future forward thinker impacting both the design direction of the firm globally and shaping the urban environment through prominent projects such as Penn Station and Borough Based Jails programs. She brings over 24 years of professional experience in architecture with built works in the U.S, Australia, China, India, and Malaysia. Much of Krishan's work and expertise is focused on large scale complex developments, leading project design, liaising with clients, agencies, consultants and coordinating teams towards accomplishing a singular goal. Taking an innovative approach to building design she challenges established architectural practice, pursues design excellence and is therefore able to deliver the best outcomes for clients, stakeholders, and community. Her architectural involvement goes beyond practice; with prominent advisory roles for government organizations, shaping policy, encompassing academics, industry organizations, publishing, participating in design juries and experimenting to enrich her work.

Beverly Prior is a national leader in the planning and design of justice facilities. Prior relocated from California to New York City in 2019 to build and lead the team that would partner with the Department of Design and Construction in procuring and implementing NYC’s justice reform through design-build. Now underway, the goal of the Borough Based Jails Program is to close Rikers Island and build 4 new community-based facilities, one each in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx. In seeking better outcomes for those engaged in and affected by the justice system—people in custody, custody staff, program providers, families, and the community—Prior seeks to identify intersections between the discipline of corrections and that of other disciplines such as human experience design, wellness, resilience, organizational development, community engagement, and public health. With a deep respect for the need for architects and managers to be stewards of public funding, Prior advocates for the indirect work that engages and inspires enduring improvements in design and operations.

Patrick Stephens currently serves as a Leadership Fellow at the Center for Community Alternatives, focusing on reconnecting young people to their communities through restorative services. In addition to this role, Stephens is a freelance writer for The Appeal Media and the Executive Director at Crowned Word Consulting LLC, as well as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Doing Sorry. Stephens holds a Master of Professional Studies in Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management from New York Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government/Socioeconomics from Bard College.

About the Civic Leadership Program
The AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP) is a six-month mentorship and training program designed to develop design professionals into civic leaders. Eight selected participants will gain hands-on experience engaging with municipal agencies, community organizations, and local stakeholders through development sessions and a public event. The program fosters skills in communication, public speaking, community outreach, and consensus building, empowering participants to navigate and influence the civic process effectively.