Architecture faculty members explore ‘Diversity and Design’

“Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences,” being released this month by Routledge Press, features work by two professors in the UNC Charlotte School of Architecture. Edited by Assistant Professor Charles Davis II, with Beth Tauke and Korydon Smith, it includes chapters by Davis and by Associate Professor Peter Wong.

In 15 case studies, Diversity and Design investigates how gender, race, class, age, ethnicity, disability and other factors influence design decisions in all platforms, from product and graphic design to architecture and urban design, and how those decisions affect diverse members of society. According to the editors’ Introduction, “Diversity and Design” presents four purposes: revealing unintended consequences, pluralizing voices and canons, empowering underserved groups and promoting identity development.

Davis and Wong each contributed a chapter on race and ethnicity: “No Longer Just a Dream: Commemorating the African American Experience on the National Mall” (Davis) and “Chinese Puzzle: Shifting Spatial and Social Patterns in Shanghai Shikumen Architecture” (Wong).

The book is available Wednesday, Oct. 21, in hardback and paperback versions.