Applied Research Consortium

March 30, 2021

Towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace

ARC survey assesses design practice workplace culture 

The Applied Research Consortium (ARC) program invites design professionals to participate in an academic survey on equitable design practice. The survey, created by ARC Fellow and Master of Landscape Architecture candidate Jake Minden, in collaboration with the ARC member firm Mithun, seeks to identify perceptions of workplace culture held by a wide range of design professionals in the fields of Architecture, Urban Planning and Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, and Interior Design. We invite ARC member firms to distribute the survey widely within their professional networks.

The survey is part of Minden’s applied research project Equity at Work: Designing an Inclusive and Equitable Workplace Culture, which he is conducting this academic year through his ARC fellowship. “In the spirit of collaboration, I’m happy to present this survey that is at the core of my ARC project,” Minden said. “It is my hope that this survey will be shared widely in order to further understand the ways individuals experience workplace culture.”

Minden will use the survey to create recommendations to assess design practice workplace culture and make changes towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Image Caption hereJAKE MINDEN

“This topic is top of mind for so many design firms right now,” said Dave Goldberg, Mithun President. “Through this research we are hoping to provide real world strategies for firms to consider implementing in their own practices as soon as possible.”

The survey should take less than ten minutes to complete and is open through the month of March. The survey includes demographic questions; however, no identifiable information will be collected. All responses are anonymous. At the end of the survey, participants are given the opportunity to sign up for an optional online interview. Questions about the survey can be directed to Minden through the ARC program office.

Landscape Architecture professor Catherine De Almeida is advising the project together with Mithun firm advisors Dave Goldberg, President, and Katie Stege, Associate.

Minden writes at length about his findings and lessons learned in Racial Equity Within Built Environment Design Practice.