Michaele Pride-Wells: Practice what you preach (October 11, 1995) c/o SCI-ARC

Recommended by Natou Fall

Overview c/o SCI-ARC:

“After being introduced by Vic Liptack, Michaele Pride-Wells, founding principal of the architecture firm Regarding Architecture, describes her architectural practice and how volunteering has influenced her. Pride-Wells discusses socially responsible projects including community planning, development, and redevelopment with the aim of realizing community goals. Pride-Wells discusses her past work and current projects.”

Key Takeaways

On the nature of practicing what you preach:

“I learned that professional practice is an activity that is based on learned and known factors. It’s skill, it’s physical, it’s tangible, it has to do with expertise, etc., and that practicing is really an act of faith. A belief in something largely unknown and intangible. It is more emotional than intellectual. More spiritual than physical. More intuitive than analytical.”

On learning the most from community and doing it:

“80% of what I know about urban planning I learned from the people who are the communities in which I work. I learned about 10% of it from colleagues and conferences. And a mere 5% from architecture school. As a matter of fact, only 30% of what I know about architecture came from arch school. About 20% comes from the opportunity to teach it. You kinda have to learn it all over again. And 50% comes from doing it.”

On participating in the 1992 LA Uprising:

“I also had to ask, ‘what can I do to help make a difference?’ Fortunately other architects, planners, engineers, and designers asked the same of themselves. And the design professionals coalition was born just two weeks later we met every week in an attempt to coordinate resources and information to make sure that that response looks like and understood the effect of communities three years later. Three years later, the DPC is an incorporated nonprofit providing volunteer design services to neglected neighborhoods, advocating public policy that empowers them, and is committed to community based solutions.”