Trend Watch April 2023

How diverse places build trust and support democracy:

Ryan Muldoon, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buffalo, writes for Medium’s Reimagining the Civic Commons on diversity and how public spaces can support connection and acceptance of our differences.

In his white paper, ‘Diversity Isn’t What Divides Us, Division is What Divides Us,’ Muldoon says segregation of groups isn’t good for acceptance of diversity: “When people are not exposed to others that are different from themselves, it becomes easier for them to rely on stereotypes, which are then reinforced by politicians or the media. People are only able to see evidence that supports the stereotype.”

Muldoon says public spaces are critical infrastructure in reaching our goals of accepting diversity. When people come together and connect in public spaces, what was seen as different amongst us, can be transformed into curiosity and an acceptance of diversity.

Muldoon says, “Whether it’s beer gardens or playgrounds or outdoor concerts, all this activity of creating consistent spaces where you can expect cross demographic mixing gives people more examples or more stories to tell themselves of positive experiences of meeting, interacting and connecting with diverse people. Maybe then a particular neighborhood is no longer thought of as intimidating, and people feel more comfortable around people who are different. These are good initial steps and at the same time, can make a city more lively and fun.”

Read more on Reimagining the Civic Commons.
Photo: Dane Deaner on Unsplash.

Studio owner on ‘the art of good business‘:

Rebecca Caldwell, director of Brisbane-based architecture business, Maytree Studio, shares how she turned a ‘suffering artist’ mentality into a strategic business approach in her article for The Parlour Collective.

“It took me a while to find my voice. For a long time, I felt like I couldn’t find the happy place between offering the prestigious service that is architecture, and my personal discomfort with the elitism that sits within that.”

Having a family changes everything for everyone, and this too was what catalysed a ‘big correction’ for Caldwell. She found her voice and challenged her myth that “good architectural practice and making money are incompatible.”

One of these changes for Caldwell was letting go of ‘profit’ being a dirty word. She says, “Being paid well for a job gives you the time to design. The time to design means you meet (or hopefully exceed) your client’s expectations. Time to design allows you to create a portfolio of work that makes you more desirable to work with.”

Caldwell says she now lives by ‘3Ps: profit, people and portfolio’ and says these are the fundamental parts of how she defines success.

“I love what my team and I have created at Maytree, but it is just a business. It has to work for me, my team and my clients. And if it isn’t, I am not afraid to pull the levers I need to get back into balance.”

Read more at The Parlour Collective.
Photo: Unseen Studio on Unsplash.