Cash for Clunkers

It is almost ironic that at a time with so much progress and forward thinking we see in the world, that we are at a standstill on an issue that has been scientifically proven through years of research and debate. It's funny how one man can change this perception of reality and sell his own version as the truth. At this point, no matter what the sentiment may be, we have to face that Donald Trump is the President of the United States. This comes after an historic era of progress in terms of climate change and the way we address it in our daily lives. While we may think that he hasn't done much in his time in office thus far, we overlook the fact that he has already begun the dismantling process of the Environmental Protection Agency, and lifted several regulations that threaten our natural resources. When announced that Trump had officially won the election, the American Institute of Architects came out with a statement in support of their new President, and how they vow to work with him in the coming years. As architects, we have a natural responsibility to react to the built environment and improve upon it. I agree with Mostafavi's claim that sustainability as we see it is an architectural object and should be built upon our cities and infrastructure. Within infrastructure itself, we are at a time in which this sector will grow and and boom in the coming years, as much of the infrastructure we rely on today is at the end of its cycle. This moment to impact the next generation of the bones of our cities lies directly in front of us. The moment to impact architecture as young designers and professionals once we leave this degree is facing us at full force. Architects as a whole are not all Democrats or Republicans, nor do we all agree on the same topic. We all should agree however that climate change is real and an issue that we directly impact. Sustainable design and integration into our projects is something that should always be a part in the way we work. Our ability to impact this cycle and contribute to the greater good is staring us in the face. President Obama was progressive in his approach and views of climate change, while President Trump is reserved and skeptical. It is quite unfortunate when the leader of the free world is against these sentiments of that we talk about so much, but it doesn't mean that we cannot do anything about it. The AIA received heat for their supportive comments of Trump, in which they reacted with an apology to their audience. This direct debate and keeping our agencies honest is the way we should act. If we as designers do not have mercy on our built environment, we cannot expect anyone else to either. At the end of the day, we are all in this together, for the greater good of mankind, no matter how much James Gill tries to deny it....

“I am going to lift the restrictions on American energy, and allow this wealth to pour into our communities.” - Donald Trump