Architectural designer Chazandra Kern (MArch, ’17) has always been interested in people’s own agency to shape their environments.
“Design should be equitable and accessible. Everyone in the process should have a voice,” Kern told Cultured magazine.
As program manager and design lead for the Los Angeles nonprofit LA Más, Kern helps design and build initiatives that promote neighborhood resilience and elevate the agency of working class communities of color. One such initiative that Kern has been directing is the Backyard Homes Project, which helps Angelenos navigate the permitting, designing, and building process of accessory dwelling units, and, in turn, helps alleviate the city’s housing shortage.
“Our overall mission is to design and build initiatives that promote neighborhood resiliency and elevate the agency of working-class communities of color,” Kern said.
Read more in the article, “Chazandra Kern designs with, not for, communities”.