JOHN MUNYAN

The American Institute of Architects

BLUEPRINT FOR BETTER

This awareness campaign shows the world who architects really are – agents of positive social change. Architects are collaborators who stand shoulder to shoulder with their communities. They are both thinkers and doers who use their skill and talent to forge better spaces, neighborhoods and cities for us all.


To be an architect is to create a Blueprint for Better structures and spaces. A Blueprint for Better building techniques that protect our environment. And a blueprint for a better world using built solutions to combat issues like climate change and homelessness.

This documentary short tells the story of Midtown, a neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi. Local architects worked with residents and community leaders to transform a struggling area into an example of healthy revitalization.

We partnered with Wired for a series of articles about architects working toward a better world. The first was a companion piece to our film on rebuilding Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (see below).


After the tragedy in Newtown, architects partnered with the community to build safer schools. See the article here.

Architects are working to create more affordable housing.

See the article here.

At Chicago Ideas Week, architects hosted design labs with adults and kids from the community to brainstorm ideas for better cities and safer schools.

Caño Martin Peña: A Blueprint for Better is a short documentary that highlights the resiliency efforts in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria slammed the island in 2017 and left more than 3 million American citizens without power.