Serving as president of this Chapter has been one of the most fulfilling and exciting periods of my professional journey, and I want to thank everyone who has supported me during this time. I have such fond memories of last December 12, when Chapter members, committee chairs, and students responded enthusiastically to the vision behind my presidential theme, Belonging and Beyond. This message, rooted in the idea of feeling recognized and connected to a community or space, truly struck a powerful chord.
I engaged with AIA New York committees, educators, non-profit think tanks, students, allied professionals, and other community members to collaboratively refine and explore the potential of this theme. Together, we identified two key through lines: The first was establishing design practices and engagement standards to shift systemic patterns of exclusion, harm, and mistrust; the second was prioritizing the intentional inclusion of community engagement to nurture a shared sense of belonging through authentic dialogue, self-awareness, and inclusive design practices. From these ideas, we developed two critical priorities to guide AIANY’s focus over the next two years:
Priority 1: Supporting Practitioner Learning, Mindset, and Practice Shifts to enhance community engagement by equipping practitioners with essential resources and training. Initiatives include creating a virtual library of engagement tools and principles that reflect AIANY’s values. To support professional growth, AIANY will develop continuing education unit courses highlighting the importance of engagement, and evaluate awards programs to celebrate exemplary practices. Fostering a network of practitioners and specialists will also encourage knowledge-sharing and drive innovation in community-centered design.
Priority 2: Advocating for Funding and Reforming Community Engagement Processes to transform and support how community engagement is executed. Efforts include exploring grants to fund engagement activities throughout all project phases, from design to postoccupancy. Building coalitions with likeminded organizations will amplify advocacy for meaningful reform. Leveraging the Political Action Fund and engaging public officials, AIANY will champion policy changes and improvements within public agency engagement practices.
We’ve already begun implementing these priorities through lectures, programming, and collaborative opportunities across AIANY’s network. We’ve embraced every chance to advance the goals of Belonging and Beyond, and we’ll continue to do so as I step into my role as immediate past president.
It has been an extraordinary honor to serve this Chapter, and I look forward to supporting Ben as he steps into the leadership role.
–Gregory T. Switzer, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, 2024 AIANY President
It is inspiring to have been part of this year’s programs at AIANY under Greg’s leadership, and to have supported his vision of making meaningful change in how we design and practice with greater mindfulness, collaboration, inclusivity, and direct engagement with the communities for whom we design. I am committed to helping advance his initiatives in the coming year.
I wanted to give a shout-out to Greg’s collaboration this past year with Ann Marie Baranowski, FAIA, and the Cultural Facilities Committee on the panel series, The Future of Public Space and Art, which examined from multiple perspectives how design of the public realm can elevate our shared sense of belonging. This dialogue resonated deeply with me.
The experience of being together “in real life,” in the physical spaces we designers create, is powerful, particularly right now. This postelection moment has amplified individual feelings of uncertainty and division. AIANY will remain steadfast in its commitment to advocating for just and sustainable communities. In this pivotal moment, we can reimagine New York’s public spaces—the theaters of our public life—to be lively, distinctive, engaging, and places of belonging for all.
My presidential theme, See You IRL: Designing for Public Life, will honor and extend Greg’s vision, continuing collaboration with our committees during 2025 to amplify the important theme of belonging to our shared civic, cultural, and social life in the city’s great public spaces. In the fall, we will stage an exhibition at the Center for Architecture showcasing projects around the city that exemplify new design approaches to large-scale civic and social spaces, and offer speculative ideas that probe the nature of our public contemporary sphere. I am grateful to Greg for striving to make meaningful change in our daily practice, and I look forward to the honor of serving our community in 2025.
–Benjamin Gilmartin, AIA, 2025 AIANY President
