Cooperatization

“Cooperatizing is key to ending the race to the bottom” said Peggy Deamer at Alternative Frameworks for Architectural Practice: The Cooperative Network, a three hour workshop organized by the Architecture Lobby. While cooperatives do not “mean all are paid equally, it means how people are paid is decided by all.” The Lobby has turned to cooperatives as a deep structural solution that can shift the very parameters of the conversation in architecture on topics ranging from work conditions to political engagement - said Deamer, “The true goal of cooperatizing is not just the empowerment of architects, but the empowerment of communities.” Members of the Lobby’s Cooperative Network group - Gabriel Cira, Martha Kriley, Chase Robinson, Quilian Riano, Shawhin Roudbari, Ashton Hamm, Matthew Okazaki and Christian Rutherford - delivered a set of presentations diving into the principles of cooperatives, their history, and - most strikingly - how ubiquitous they are abroad. In Spain, something like two thirds of the population are members in a cooperative. NYRA featured in moderator Palmyra Geraki’s presentation, as we are organizing as a cooperative. It is not easy! Much of the workshop focused on the mechanics of becoming a cooperative - for instance, only a few states even offer it as an option at all, but there is a workaround whereby an organization can become a corporation and then enact a set of by-laws that make it a cooperative. The Lobby (and NYRA!) is ready to do the hard work, because, as as Deamer said, “Cooperatization is not just a pleasant option, it is a necessary one.”

To find resources and take the Lobby’s cooperative survey, click here.