Black Women in the Built Environment

This book showcases the women of the Black Diaspora and quantifies their impact in reshaping the built environment in the 21st century. The collection includes experiences from Black female architects, urban planners, interior architects, and interior designers to demonstrate how they have repaved, and still are repaving, the landscape for future generations.

The book focuses specifically on ten diasporic women connected to Chicago, which has long been a laboratory for architectural innovation and experimentation. The women span generations and have gained prominence for their contributions, not only physically shaping the built environment, but also authoring a changed perspective of "who" are the contributors. Each woman in her own way has assisted in establishing a path for Black Diasporic Women to build careers in architecture and tangential professions. The book’s content is a compilation of ten stories, each woman narrating her memories and experiences throughout her career journey accompanied by images of selected projects. The book focuses on the women’s stories and their journey to becoming a model for success. However, critical to the theme is understanding that belonging to the same African Diasporic community does not inherently speak to the same Black experience and journey.

This book will both inform and inspire future generations of Black Diasporic Women and demonstrate the role they can play in reshaping the built environment’s landscape. It will be of interest to academics and students of the built environment, as well as gender studies, and race and ethnicity studies.