Throughout the month of April, AIA Pennsylvania arranged for engaged, “citizen architects” to meet with their state legislators back home in the district. The opportunity for AIA Pennsylvania members to build relationships with their elected officials by way of district meetings started last year as a follow-up supplement to Architects Action Day. This year, district meetings preceded Architects Action Day set for June 11.
Thirty meetings were scheduled for the 25+ AIA Pennsylvania members that elected to advocate, educate, and participate in District Days. AIA Pennsylvania members were prepped with a webinar outlining best practice for meetings and directed to share their professional “proof points” and project narratives with legislators to introduce them to the broad scope of the architects’ skillset and practice. The goal was to have elected officials walk away from meetings with an understanding of the ways architects can act as a resource for them in all matters related to the built environment that touch the health, safety, and welfare of their constituents. Specific topics of discussion included the architects’ critical role in upholding building codes, historic preservation, school construction funding and safety, and high-performance building.
