Degree Date

2-2022

Document Type

Dissertation - Public Access

Degree Name

Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy

Academic Discipline

Adult and Continuing Education

First Advisor

Dr. Marguerite Chabau

Second Advisor

Dr. Kathleen Cornett

Abstract

This study intended to assess design thinking as a variable regarding its utilization as a tool to increase the number of African American architects in the United States. The research was grounded in the speech given by Whitney Young to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1968, and the initial partnership between the AIA and the National Organization of Minority of Architects (NOMA) in 2001 to increase the number of African American architects to 15,000 by 2030. Through the qualitative methodology, via descriptive phenomenological analysis (DPA), fourteen participants, all of whom were African American licensed architects, were interviewed to gather insights regarding design thinking and four areas of focus, which were outreach, education, licensure, and entrepreneurship. The analysis revealed that design thinking can be a catalyst in the areas of outreach and education for developing solutions intended to increase the number of African American architects in the United States, a goal the professional associations committed to achieving.

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