Gehry Partners' Dana McKinney on Designing Environments to Empower

By Julia Gamolina

Dana McKinney is an architect and urban planner, currently with Gehry Partners, who is an outspoken advocate for justice and equity through design. Dana centralizes people and their broader communities throughout her work. She integrates wellness, policy, and economics into innovative design solutions to benefit even the most vulnerable individuals.

Dana graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. in Architecture and completed her Masters in Architecture and Urban Planning, at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD). During her time at the GSD, Dana helped to establish the inaugural Black in Design Conference, Map the Gap, and the African American Design Nexus.

JG: Why did you decide to study architecture?

DMK: I recognized the power of design at a young age. I grew up in Trumbull, Connecticut, a quaint, upper-middle class, and extraordinarily White town. I was surrounded by beautifully restored Colonial homes, McMansions, 2-car garages, and pristinely manicured lawns. However, this imagery of small town America was in direct contrast with my grandparents’ home in Newark, New Jersey, where we ate Sunday dinners. On the surface, Newark was everything that Trumbull was not - a city of poorly maintained brick apartment buildings, shuddered storefronts, and Black people everywhere. These contrasting environments resonated with me and continue to do so to this day.

I wanted to become an architect to afford all communities spaces of pride, dignity, and beauty. However, the dichotomy of Black and White America inspired me to pursue urban planning in addition to architecture. I wanted to explore interventions that ameliorate social inequities and promote just environments that transcend race and class, understanding that differing community needs require bespoke and well-informed design solutions.

What was the favorite project you worked on in school? Favorite paper you wrote?

Without question, my favorite project in school was my thesis. I was determined to explore an area that resonated close to home, was a bit contentious, and would challenge me to push far beyond my comfort zone. I focused on incarceration, a social ill that was one of the most powerful tools to disenfranchise communities of color. I designed a residential community with wraparound services for residents of Newark, New Jersey, an ode to the city that continues to inspire me. Newark is a prototypical example of a city whose residents fall prey to over-policing and disproportionate rates of incarceration. The project incorporated spaces for education, job training, wellness, rehabilitation, and growth for system-impacted families, not just individuals accused of crimes. I advocated for restorative justice to bring together those accused of a crime, the victims, and community to reconcile the wrongdoing and progress forward.

My thesis was not only a design project; it was an exercise of written thought. I spent an additional semester of coursework to better prepare me to engage in criminal justice discourse. I took classes at the law, policy, education, and arts schools, and visited jails, prisons, and courtrooms to more fully immerse myself in the system. From laying this groundwork, I wrote a series of essays ruminating on the repercussions of the existing criminal justice system, alternative justice practices, and the responsibility of architects and designers to engage the topics. My thesis transcended a design project, paper, or grade. It was my love letter to each environment that shaped me, the Black community, and all who suffers at the hands of poor design.

What are some of the initiatives you’ve focused on in school, and why?

I sometimes joke that I was a part-time student and a full-time activist. I was extremely focused on diversity, inclusion, and social justice initiatives both at the GSD, in the design fields, and within my broader community. I sat on the Dean’s Diversity Committee, which focused on diverse hiring and admissions practices, curriculum, and programming. I was also a member of the urban planning department’s diversity committee. I helped to establish lunchtime conversations, “Diversity Talks” to invite young practitioners, many of whom were Black and Brown, to converse with students about cultural competency, empathic engagement, and share stories about their professional development.

However, my primary initiative was the African American Student Union (AASU). When I arrived at the GSD, the organization was in its infancy, with fewer Black students than I could count on two hands in a school with nearly 900 enrolled. I immediately joined the organization and sat on the executive board, from which we committed to expand diverse representation among students and faculty alike. By 2015, I became the organization’s president and spearheaded numerous efforts including the inaugural Black in Design Conference, Map the Gap, InFORMing Justice, and the Black Lives Matter Installation. Our work soon bled into our activism and we formed family through weekly “wine downs” and countless dinners together. Right as my tenure at the GSD was ending; we helped to establish the African American Design Nexus, a catalogue of Black designers’ work, writings, and lives. My academics were critical in expanding my design vocabulary and skills, but it’s the social initiatives that fueled my soul and made my experience at the GSD human.

When searching for internships and jobs, what are you looking for?

Upon completing graduate school, I was motivated to continue learning and grow as a designer – to intellectually challenge myself with complex projects and embrace the discomfort of new software and technologies. I worried that complacency would stymie my recently fostered skill sets and truncate my expanding design voice. With every internship and job, I sought a new experience, engaged different design phases, and pursued a wide spectrum of building types, programs, and scales.

It was also critical that I learned as much as possible about offices’ culture and people, not just the work itself. I spend most of my waking hours at work, and truly appreciate a welcoming environment, where my coworkers share similar interests and values. I never applied for a job to make friends, but it was always a bonus to find friendship in the workplace.

What’s important to you? What inspires you?

I love craft and the ability of mundane materials to transcend into objects of beauty. My friends joke that I will see concrete and immediately rub it to feel its texture and search for any imperfections. But it is more than that. Concrete is a ubiquitous material, but can take a life of its own by virtue of whose hands mixed and formed it. I love when a craftsperson is memorialized as part of a building’s history. Their work stands for the world to see, use, and touch long before their time.

“My academics were critical in expanding my design vocabulary and skills, but it’s the social initiatives that fueled my soul and made my experience at the GSD human.”

This leads to what inspire me – people. I am inspired by each individual that my designs will serve. I am especially motivated when a project genuinely engages its community and establishes reciprocity in its feedback. Like the craftsperson, I want community members to become part of the building’s fabric and DNA. Without their input, it is insincere to claim that the intent and design are truly for them.

What do you hope to do in your career?

As my career unfolds, I want to center my work on individuals and communities with vulnerabilities, many of which were historically disenfranchised by architecture and urban planning. While I have studied aging populations, person experiencing homelessness, veterans, formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals, there are many more communities and user groups that deserve particular care and attention in the design process.

I specifically want to design environments that will empower Black communities that have often fallen prey to predatory housing practices, discriminatory urban policies, segregation, and deteriorating infrastructure. The Black community inspired me to become a designer in the first place and I hope that my work will inspire other young Black people to join the design fields and help shape the spaces around them.

Who do you look up to? Both in terms of women in architecture, and in general.

Countless women have inspired me to push harder and think bigger. Danielle Etzler taught me that you could carve your own role that extends beyond traditional architectural practice. Maryanne Thompson taught me that you could be a powerhouse and expert in your craft while raising a family. Toni Griffin taught me that cities can be just and designers are culpable in achieving that. Deborah Berke taught me that women could build their own practice, start their family, and be still become dean of one of the nation’s best schools. Each of these women and countless others have shaped my aspirations and exponentially expanded what I find myself capable of achieving.

Outside of design, I am most inspired by Susan Burton. Following a traumatic childhood and the death of her five-year-old son, Susan served six prisons terms for her involvement with drugs. Once released, she founded A New Way of Life, to house and support formerly incarcerated women as they reenter society. Through my professional work on alternatives to incarceration, our paths crossed. From our first meeting, Susan challenged me to think bigger, differently, and with the upmost respect of all people despite their accused crimes. She continues to build homes, not just housing, for women who need to a place to come home to. Susan empowers women through spaces of love, support, and empathy – I hope to translate each of these values into my own work moving forward.

What advice would you give to those in high school now, choosing their field of study?

When exploring what to study, talk to as many people as possible and ask them as many questions as time affords. Your questions should be comprehensive. Ask about their day-to-day tasks, education, professional development, work-life balance, and dare I say, compensation. Take note of the attractive elements, but do not discredit red flags.

Before narrowing down your interests, fall down the rabbit hole of different career trajectories. A single field of study can result in a multitude of careers and experiences; some may appeal more than others may. Pursue the ones that inspire you, but do not close the door on other curiosities. Most of all, study what you love.