Margin and Text

A broad range of diverse voices in architecture discuss issues of equity, access, and social justice embedded in and related to the built environment.

Margin and Text is a collection of essays, interviews, and personal stories, as well as historical and current writings and lectures, contributed by BIPOC and female practitioners and educators in architecture. Each piece offers reflections on architecture’s troubled past, commentary on its fluid present, and visions of possible futures, all set amid today’s context of broad social activism, divisive politics, and the devastating toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edited by architecture educators Betsy West, Kelly Carlson-Reddig, and José L.S. Gámez, Margin and Text draws together contributors who are widely diverse in gender, ethnicity, age, religion, culture, point of view, and the nature of their work. Each chapter features an introduction by one of the editors, followed by essays from names in the field that include:

• Meejin Yoon (Höweler+Yoon) on the multicultural aspirations of architecture
• Chris Cornelius (University of New Mexico) on indigenous place and space
• Jack Travis (Jack Travis Architect) on a Black aesthetic
• Aneesha Dharwadker (University of Illinois) on America’s architectural diaspora
• Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman (Estudio Teddy Cruz+Fonna Forman) on the Mexico border
• And more

Accessible, compelling, and thought-provoking, these pieces are combined with personal snapshots, individual projects, and an overview of benchmark events such as Whitney M. Young’s historic 1968 keynote address at the AIA National Convention, the Pritzker Prize petition for Denise Scott Brown, the Alcatraz Proclamation of 1969, and the #NotMyAIA response to AIA’s pledge to work with Donald Trump following the 2016 election.

Richly illustrated with more than 100 photographs throughout, this timely volume offers unique perspectives on systemic racism in the architecture and design space, making it an invaluable resource for architecture students, academics, and professionals.

Betsy West is an Associate Professor in the David R. Ravin School of Architecture. She received her Master of Architecture degree from Yale University and practiced professionally with several firms, including The Freelon Group in its infancy, before joining the faculty at UNC Charlotte in 1998.

José L.S. Gámez is Dean of the College of Arts + Architecture at UNC Charlotte and longtime faculty member in the David R. Ravin School of Architecture. He received his Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M, his Master of Architecture from UC Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in Architecture and Urban Design from the University of California at Los Angeles. Before coming to UNC Charlotte, he taught at Portland State University and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

Kelly Carlson-Reddig is an Associate Professor in the David R. Ravin School of Architecture. She completed her Bachelor of Architecture at Texas Tech University in 1986 and her Master of Environmental Design at Yale University in 1992.