News from YAF: Mission 2130 Highlights

By Kate Schwennsen, FAIA

Over the past three months, the Young Architects Forum Advisory Group has shared via LinkedIn and other social media the highlights of the eight Mission 2130 crews on the challenges and pitches presented in Pittsburgh in August 2022 at Summit30. The summary challenges and descriptions of the world in 2130, which were developed and presented by the Mission 2130 crews, provide a glimpse into the aspirations of Young Architects, and their motivations to advance our profession in service to the communities, the planet, and the people we serve:

I. Janus developed the Catalyst Challenge to empower the architect to disrupt the profession, the community, and the planet’s current trajectory; as an investment in the future of our world and our communities, prompting a responsibility to heal and not harm.

II. The Planeteers developed the Atlantis 2130 Challenge to help humanity rapidly evolve toward a harmonious relationship with the planet. We will incrementally propel society to adapt to a changing world and eliminate our reliance on linear resources.

III. Regenerative REVOLUTIONS developed VALUE\ shift to help you + me resolve apathy by designing value systems to encourage interdependent compassion and celebrate cross-cultural connections.

IV. Future OCCUR developed [_____]ism to avert human extinction through “mycelial networks”. Threads of shared resources that replenish the valuable through redistribution.

V. The Futurespectives developed the Commitment to the 99% to support future generations in addressing societal inequities through a redefinition of shared values.

VI. RE/ACTIVE developed the Community Imperative Challenge to drive symbiotic development for society at the neighborhood scale by empowering local leaders.

VII. Form Follows Fiction developed the Palimpsest Project to help humanity remember itself through AI integration.

VIII.The Archinaries developed the 75-mile Amoeba to save all life forms from global extinction by adapting human society into a global network of nodes with local resources, local governance, and interconnected technology.

These challenges and more are informing the YAF’s 20232027 Strategic Initiative: for

The 2023 Priority Areas are the following:

Advocate [for change]

Educate [for impact]

Diversify [for the future]

A formal report will be published by the YAF in early 2023 about the overall #AIAYAFMission2130 experience and what is next to come.

The College of Fellows continues to be proud of our support for this ambitious group of innovators, and look forward to joining them in action, catalyzing for change.