The Aesthetics of Equity

Architecture is often thought to be a diary of a society, filled with symbolic representations of specific cultural moments. However, that diary includes far too few narratives of the diverse cultures in U.S. society. Illustrating how ideologies are formed, transmitted, and embedded in the built environment, the Aesthetics of Equity deconstructs how the marginalization of African Americans is authorized within the field of architecture. The treatise outlines how activist forms of expression shape and sustains communities, fashioning an architectural theory around the site of environmental conflict constructed by hip-hop culture and places such concerns in a historical context while offering practical solutions to address them. In doing so, the work reveals new possibilities for an architecture that acknowledges current shortcomings and replies to the needs of multicultural constituencies.