10 AIA26 sessions that will strengthen your advocacy efforts at home

Climate action and housing policy are key advocacy priorities for AIA, reflecting the urgent challenges communities face as they confront rising climate risks, aging infrastructure, and a worsening housing shortage. When working at the intersection of design and civic leadership, architects and designers are uniquely positioned to help communities respond to those challenges.

To that end, at AIA26, architects and industry professionals will run sessions that offer practical tools for collaborating with policymakers, clients, and communities while navigating the systems that shape climate and housing outcomes. 

AIA26 takes place in San Diego from June 10–13. Below is a selection of sessions that will help you strengthen your advocacy efforts and contribute to a more resilient, equitable built environment. (View the full schedule and register for sessions on the AIA26 calendar.)

Designing for Climate Risk: A Hands-On Charette

Wednesday, June 10 | 9am –12pm | Program code: WK102 

This interactive workshop invites participants to apply climate projection data and risk assessment tools in real time. It will be a practical, design-oriented session that helps architects translate climate data into action and strengthens their ability to communicate about risk and resilience with clients and community partners.  

Winning Together: How Architects Can Help Communities Build Resilience

Wednesday, June 10 | 2–3:30pm | Program code: WK136 

This session will highlight how architects can work alongside community leaders to strengthen resilience in the face of climate-related disasters and infrastructure vulnerabilities. Speakers will emphasize the architect’s role as a collaborator and communicator, offering insight into how design thinking can support local preparedness efforts.  

Advocacy at the Source: Architects Serving in Elected Office 

Wednesday, June 11 | 2:30–4pm | Program code: WK125 

Featuring architects who have successfully run for public office, this session will provide a candid look at how design professionals can shape policy from within government. It will demystify the path to civic leadership and underscore the unique perspective architects and designers bring to support policies that tackle sustainability, housing, building codes, and community development.

Housing Policy in Action: Design, Equity, & Urban Form

Wednesday, June 10 | 4–5pm | Program code: SE130 

Focusing on the intersection of policy, design, and equity, this program will explore how zoning, land use decisions, and development frameworks shape housing outcomes. Through case studies and a deep dive into San Diego’s Housing Action Plan and Complete Communities initiatives, the session will illuminate how approaches to density, neighborhood form, and equitable access to housing can support more inclusive communities.

Employing Climate Resilience Strategies to Design for Survival

Thursday, June 11 | 7:30–8:30am | Program code: SE227 

This session will examine practical approaches for designing buildings and communities that can withstand extreme weather and climate-driven hazards. Speakers will reinforce resilience as a core design responsibility and offer strategies architects can use when discussing climate risk and long-term performance with clients and stakeholders.

Climate in Your Corner: Making the Case to Clients

Thursday, June 11 | 2:30–4pm | Program code: WK109

Focused on client communication and actionable strategies that align with health, safety, and welfare outcomes, this session will equip architects with the ability to share the value of climate responsive design in ways that resonate with cost-conscious or hesitant clients. It offers practical messaging tools that support project outcomes and broader climate objectives.

Unlocking Homeownership: Alternative Models and Housing Typologies of Tomorrow

Friday, June 12 | 4–5pm | Program code: SE407 

Exploring new pathways to homeownership, this session will look at emerging housing types and ownership structures that expand access to stable and affordable housing. It will provide architects with an understanding of innovative models such as community land trusts and limited-equity cooperatives. Additionally, it will teach participants how to help bring housing solutions to more communities. 

Reversing Disinvestment & the Power of Design

Saturday, June 13 | 7:30–8:30am | Program code: SE403

Centered on communities affected by long-term disinvestment, this program (featuring 2023 AIA Gold Medal winner Carol Ross Barney, FAIA) will explore how designers can support reinvestment, repair, and equitable development. Speakers will highlight the importance of listening, partnership-building, and policy awareness and offer tools to engage meaningfully with neighborhoods seeking stability and opportunity.

Influencing Change Through Grassroots & Industry Advocacy

Saturday, June 13 | 10:30am–12pm | Program code: WK216

This session will explore how architects can build influence through grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and industry-wide advocacy. With practical guidance based on successes from projects that align with climate action policy in Dallas, speakers will highlight how engaging policymakers and mobilizing peers are essential extensions of architectural practice.

Los Angeles Housing Accord: Equity, Resilience, & Practice Innovation

Saturday, June 13 | 12–1pm | Program code: SE426 

A deep dive into a Los Angeles citywide initiative that integrates housing, climate resilience, and equity into a unified strategy, this session will illustrate how architects can contribute to large-scale policy efforts. Case studies will demonstrate the power of cross-sector collaboration in disaster recovery and complex urban development challenges.  

Kathleen M. O’Donnell is a freelance writer, editor, and communications strategist based in Washington, D.C. She is committed to telling stories that provide useful insights to architects and designers and highlight the impact of their work.