It’s The Economy, Architect!
In response to member concerns about the general state of the economy, the AIA has created the Navigating the Economy Web site, bringing you the latest resources--podcasts, articles, financial tips, best practices, and economic reports--to help you and your firm through these tough times. Content is constantly changing, so check the Navigating the Economy Web site often.

President Purnell Rocks the Vote
Take two minutes and read this important message—or watch the video—from a fellow citizen and architect.

At Gonzalez Goodale’s Wilshire Public Park, a Monument to a Dead Hero and Living Activism
A site already laden with history takes on the legacy of RFK
Wilshire Public Park uses public art and materials that are untraditional for monuments to create an inspirational park space dedicated to Robert F. Kennedy, who was shot at the Ambassador Hotel, which used to inhabit the park’s site. Gonzalez Goodale’s design, at the urging of the Kennedy family, avoids passive tropes of historic memorials and instead uses color and public art to create a call for social activism and justice.

New STAR Community Index, with AIA on Board, Stands Poised to Help American Communities Get Green
Volunteers wanted to serve on eight technical committees to share architects’ insight and know-how
The new STAR Community Index offers a framework for evaluating, measuring, and improving the sustainability and livability of U.S. communities. The ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability, U.S. Green Building Council, and Center for American Progress established a partnership to develop this index. The AIA has joined these founding organizations and 25 cities and counties, as well as 12 other associations/organizations, to serve on the steering committee that will develop the sustainability benchmarking and evaluation tool.

Vietnam Veteran Memorial Joins “Shape of America” Web Site
On October 20, the AIA’s Shape of America project—a series of Web-based short films showcasing a selection of the 150 structures chosen by the public as America’s Favorite Architecture—chose Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to join its repertoire of buildings that are expanding public dialogue about architecture and how it affects our lives.

YAF Brings You a Podcast on Professional Credibility
If you liked the “How Do We Define Professional Credibility?” Young Architects Forum article on architects’ credibility in the October 10 AIArchitect, check out the credibility podcast now available free on AIA.org.

Extend the conversation with moderator LaTonya Whitfield-Horhn, AIA, LEED-AP, the communications advisor for the YAF Advisory Committee, speaking with author Greg Walker, AIA; Emily Grandstaff Rice, AIA; and Rhonda Wang, AIA, for half an hour as they debate the facets of credibility shaping the profession today. This podcast is sponsored by Dupont Century Glass.