May 2023 Chapter President’s letter

A personal letter from Angela Mazzi, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC on city and state advocacy, and upcoming chapter programs

This past month has been a busy one! AIA Cincinnati has continued to have opportunities to get your priorities in front of our elected officials.

We sent a letter to the Cincinnati City Council in support of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) and met with John Harmon of the Mayor’s office. In that meeting, Mr. Harmon expressed appreciation for the point of view that architects bring to initiatives. In particular, the Connected Communities Initiative and how to increase density beyond the urban core. Per his request, we are sharing a copy with you. He was also interested in supporting ADU while maintaining neighborhood character and vitality. We also discussed reactivating the Urban Design Review Board and strategies for proactive community engagement possibly leading to zoning overlays. AIA Cincinnati is also sending a letter to Mayor Pureval that includes our support of these issues. We will continue to advocate for affordable housing, social justice and social determinants to health, and design for aging.

The advocacy committee also held a meeting with State Reps Cecil Thomas (District 25), Jessica Miranda (District 28), and Rachel Baker (District 27) on April 24 to follow-up to our state house meeting last month and build those relationships. All three representatives were engaged. The discussion ranged from what architects do to how we can be a resource. AIA Ohio’s letters of opposition to House Bill 65 and Senate Bill 67 were shared. The representatives agreed to meet regularly with AIA Cincinnati.

Our April VISION guest lecturer, Roderic Walton, AIA helped forge the link between health and social justice/equity issues. You can learn more about that by visiting the VISION Facebook page.

Make sure to register for our May 18 VISION lecture with Stefani Danes, FAIA, who will pick up the thread of healthy neighborhood design as well as the psychology behind design. Stefani was my Psychology of Habitation professor in my third year of architecture school at Carnegie Mellon. While I was always aware that space felt like something and cared about user experience, her class flipped a switch for me about the “why” behind design which has shaped my entire career. I really hope you can attend this lecture and be part of the conversation.

Continuing the conversation on the built environment and quality of life, sign up for our May 10 Urban Design Salon on Complete Streets addressing design and inclusion.

We are gearing up for A’23 in June – please let us know if you plan to attend so we can get our Cincinnati contingent together. The AIA Cincinnati board appointed our delegates at our April meeting and we are proud to have John Rogers, Chris Patek, and Anika Anisha joining me to vote on behalf of our component. We have also been able to have conversations with both candidates for First Vice President as well as two of the At Large Candidates. I am pushing for all of them to chat with us and to respond to questions we have generated from our members about leading the organization.

Last but not least, congratulations to our CRANawards winners!

Angela Mazzi, FAIA, FACHA, EDAC
2023 AIA Cincinnati President