Thursday, February 25, 2021
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, President Biden overturned Trump’s “Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture” Executive Order. The executive order, signed by Trump during his last month in office on Dec. 21, 2020, was controversial and aimed to support Euro-centric architecture described as “classical” and “traditional.”
Biden’s nullification of the order comes on the heels of push back from civic design organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In a statement released by AIA, who commended President Biden for the nullification, AIA 2021 President Peter Exley, FAIA said, “By overturning this order, the Biden Administration has restored communities with the freedom of design choice that is essential to designing federal buildings that best serve the public.”
In solidarity with the civic design fields, Americans for the Arts had released a statement on Inclusivity in the Design of Our Built Environments on Dec. 28, 2020, joining AIA, ASLA and others in condemning Trump’s executive order.
