AIA Strategic Plan 2026-2030
The American Institute of Architects' Strategic Plan 2026–2030 is a bold, member-informed roadmap for a profession ready to lead, focusing on what architects and firms need to thrive.
AIA is setting the PACE
AIA’s Strategic Plan 2026–2030 is designed to help architects succeed—with strong careers, resilient firms, and a profession equipped to shape a rapidly changing world. Developed through extensive engagement with members and stakeholders, the plan prioritizes practice success, coordinated action, practical climate leadership, and expanded access at every career stage.
The plan is organized around four interconnected goals— PACE—that reflect what members told us matters most:
- Practice success that strengthens firms and careers
- Advocacy that supports and elevates architects
- Climate leadership that is ambitious, achievable, and embedded in practice
- Equity that expands access, participation, and advancement across the profession
A strategic path forward
PACE is a set of interconnected goals and strategies that guide how AIA will focus its work over the next five years—helping architects and firms succeed, lead, and make a positive impact.
Activate practice success
Strengthen the business, financial, and strategic acumen of AIA members and firms so they can make informed decisions that support long-term financial stability, responsible growth, and individual economic prosperity in a rapidly evolving practice environment.
Strategy: Equip members in their pursuit of economic prosperity.
Objective: Empower members to understand, manage, and further their personal and professional economic well-being through accessible education, tools, and career-stage–relevant guidance.
Strategy: Help firms and practitioners responsibly navigate emerging technologies.
Objective: Equip firm leaders’ and practitioners’ capacity to evaluate, adopt, and govern emerging technologies in ways that support financial sustainability, risk management, and long-term practice resilience.
Strengthen our voice as advocates
Architects are confident advocates and trusted civic leaders—clearly articulating the value of architecture and shaping the decisions that affect our communities.
Strategy: Enhance advocacy capacity across AIA networks.
Objective: Prepare members to confidently communicate the value of architecture—advocating with clarity and credibility and translating individual voices into collective impact.
Strategy: Cultivate partnerships to communicate the value of the architect.
Objective: Position AIA as a recognized trusted partner and civic leader, elevating architects as visible, influential decisionmakers—shaping policies, investments, and outcomes that affect communities.
Elevate community resilience to address climate
More firms and practitioners actively use AIA tools, resources, and partnerships to advance climate action and regenerative practice.
Strategy: Promote adoption of climate action commitments in everyday practice.
Objective: Enable architects to confidently integrate climate action and design excellence into everyday practice—how they design, document, deliver, and evaluate projects.
Strategy: Build the business case for adaptation and mitigation.
Objective: Equip architects to clearly communicate the business, risk, and value case for climate action—helping clients make informed decisions that lead to better outcomes.
Advance an equitable and accessible profession
Over time, the architecture profession more closely reflects the diversity of the communities it serves, with more people from historically underrepresented backgrounds entering, remaining, and advancing.
Strategy: Address barriers to pursuing licensure, firm leadership, and AIA involvement.
Objective: Reduce structural and financial barriers so more people can pursue licensure, leadership, and sustained engagement in AIA.
Strategy: Collaborate with AIA networks to connect career-shaping resources.
Objective: Coordinate AIA networks to make career pathways visible, accessible, and supported—enabling members to more easily navigate licensure, leadership, and professional growth at every stage.
Strategy: Promote a more inclusive workforce with early outreach to potential architects.
Objective: Expand early exposure to architecture so more young people—especially those historically excluded—can see the profession as accessible and attainable.
Download the Strategic Plan 2026-2030
High-level successes of the Strategic Plan 2021-2025
Past plans
Questions? Email us
Strategic Planning Committee
AIA would like to thank the Strategic Planning Committee appointed by 2025 AIA President Evelyn Lee, FAIA, for their deep insight, diverse perspectives, and commitment to AIA’s future. The committee’s leadership resulted in a strategic plan that is bold, achievable, aligned with AIA’s mission, and centered on the success of our members.
Korey White, AIA, Co-chair (Illinois)
Mike Waldinger, Hon. AIA, Co-chair (Colorado)
Bill Bates, FAIA (Pennsylvania)
Abigail Brown, FAIA (Washington, D.C.)
Paolo Campos, AIA (Connecticut)
Josh Flowers, FAIA (Tennessee)
Nate Hudson, AIA (Nevada)
Melvaleen McLemore, AIA, NOMA (Texas)
Rachel Minnery, FAIA (Washington)
Li Ren, AIA (Dubai)
Saakshi Terway, Assoc. AIA (Washington, D.C.)
Sarah Woynicz, AIA (Texas)