Events

The Art of Listening | Honing your Firm's Community Engagement Strategies

June 18, 2026
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How can archi­tects turn com­mu­ni­ty oppo­si­tion into trust, dia­logue, and buy-in?

Ross Bar­ney Archi­tects pre­sent­ed ​“The Art of Lis­ten­ing: Hon­ing Your Firm’s Com­mu­ni­ty Engage­ment Strate­gies” at AIA 26. Car­ol Ross Bar­ney, FAIA, and Lena Reiff, AIA, shared prac­ti­cal tools for active lis­ten­ing, tai­lor­ing engage­ment strate­gies, and cen­ter­ing com­mu­ni­ty voic­es in the design process.

As Car­ol Ross Bar­ney reminds us, ​“we should see design not just as an elite prac­tice, but as a vital super­pow­er avail­able to shape a bet­ter world for all.”

For Lena Reiff, mean­ing­ful engage­ment means ​“putting the com­mu­ni­ty first and lis­ten­ing to all voic­es when designing.”

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