AIA Responds to Trump’s Election With Conciliatory Letter

AIA CEO Robert Ivy calls on architects to work with President-Elect Trump, particularly on improving the U.S.’s aging infrastructure.

Courtesy Flickr

The American Institute of Architects‘ (AIA) chief executive officer Robert Ivy, FAIA, has issued the following statement, following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United Sates:

“The AIA and its 89,000 members are committed to working with President-elect Trump to address the issues our country faces, particularly strengthening the nation’s aging infrastructure. During the campaign, President-elect Trump called for committing at least $500 billion to infrastructure spending over five years. We stand ready to work with him and with the incoming 115th Congress to ensure that investments in schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure continue to be a major priority.”

“We also congratulate members of the new115th Congress on their election. We urge both the incoming Trump Administration and the new Congress to work toward enhancing the design and construction sector’s role as a major catalyst for job creation throughout the American economy.”

“This has been a hard-fought, contentious election process. It is now time for all of us to work together to advance policies that help our country move forward.”

It is still to early to determine how a Trump presidency will impact the built environment—nor the U.S.’s and the AIA’s commitment to meeting new standards regarding sustainable design.

In other election news, Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR) are celebrating wins today: both the Los Angeles County Measures A and M passed, which will increase funding to local and regional parks, allowing for the restoration of green recreational areas along the LA River as well as the completion of a 51-mile LA River bike path. In addition, Los Angeles City Proposition HHH, which provides funding for housing for vulnerable populations, also passed. According to FoLAR senior policy director Marissa Christiansen, “As much as 57% of LA River homeless live in or near the LA River. The homelessness crisis is an LA River issue and the passage of Prop HHH is a major victory.”

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