A truly open city

For three decades, Open House has striven to make cities the world over less exclusive. Each year we have thrown wide the doors of buildings in London and across the globe, welcoming people of all backgrounds to share in the history, spaces and fabric of our architecture. Open House exists explicitly to open up the urban landscape to those who would otherwise be barred from it — championing diversity, equity and tackling discrimination are, therefore, central to our work, motivating our programmes from community workshops to city-wide festivals.

Yet, recent events have been a bitter reminder that our streets remain far from open for far too many. The killing of restaurant security guard George Floyd in Minneapolis shocked the world but for many black people was yet another life lost in a pattern that is as predictable as it is appalling. Contemporary Britain is a different context to the United States, but here too the loss of Mark Duggan, Rashan Charles, Stephen Lawrence and innumerable others remind us that institutional racism, for many, is a matter of life and death. As activists and local authorities tear down monuments to long-dead traders of enslaved people, the extent of Britain’s colonial history is laid bare. It is this history, littered with subjugation and oppression, that has laid the foundations for a contemporary culture that routinely tolerates acts of xenophobic abuse.

Even for those not on the receiving end of physical violence, racism impacts educational attainment, housing options, career prospects, wealth and life expectancy — cutting across society like a pandemic. In architecture, racism affects who gets to design the buildings we live in and which buildings by whom are valued. That in 178 years, no black architect has yet won the Royal Gold Medal is not a coincidence but the consequence of decades of discrimination which continue to distort all professions including our own.

Racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia and other toxic forms of discrimination erode the civic fabric of society, harming the most vulnerable and driving communities apart. For those of us who believe in the cause of open, just and equitable cities, it could not be clearer that far more must be done to fight against prejudice especially by those least likely to fall victim to it. 

Open House is a modest charity compared to the mighty institutes and associations who tower over architectural culture. Yet, though small, we punch well above our weight and recognise that we have a voice, a power and a responsibility to do more. Open House has been an advocate of diversity in architecture since it was founded, but we have not gone as far or as fast as is needed. We have shied away from the tougher questions of how inequity and the urban landscape intersect. We have missed opportunities to celebrate the work of black and brown urban practitioners. We have failed to always create a programme that is as diverse as the communities it serves. We can, and we must, and we will, do more. 

This year, we will expand and develop our outreach programmes, in particular Accelerate which has for a decade helped young people from under-represented backgrounds pursue careers in the built environment. For the Open House festival, we will host a programme explicitly exploring black history, decolonisation and the intersection of race with architecture. We will use the festival, our tours, publishing platforms and education programmes to do this, shedding light on stories and people that are often missed. We will use our network of practitioners and educators to connect architects with state school students, driving a programme of mentoring and talks across the city. We will use our influence to engage with procurement and bias within architectural commissioning. We will address demographic imbalances in our trustees, staff, volunteers and freelancers. 

Above all, we will speak out more, lobby more and campaign more for the London we want to live in — a London that excludes no one. Until racism and systemic prejudice are beaten back, challenged at every turn, called out, cornered and cauterised from our streets; Until all citizens can live, work and play safe from bigotry and violence; Until black lives matter — the city, and society, will never truly be open.