The 7th annual ENCOMPASS: Inclusive Architecture conference, was held on Friday, May 12 (8am – 4pm) at The Beehive in South LA.  This year’s conference will serve as an interactive forum to amplify and elevate best-practices in community outreach and empowerment to ensure more equitable, healthy, and inclusive outcomes as our region prepares for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This opportunity brings an enormous influx of attention and investment to the Los Angeles region.  It’s vital that we help shape the discourse with a new paradigm of design-thinking and build more capacity to celebrate the the unique cultural identity of LA’s diverse neighborhoods.

During the conference, we will explore examples of successful community engagement strategies and identify opportunities to integrate the values of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our collective actions.

Questions to address include:

• How do we best ensure equity in our major capital investments and infrastructure improvements?
• How do we “design” the governance structure?
• How can we help inform the legacy of 2028 and safeguard each neighborhood’s ability to celebrate its own inherent cultural identity?
• What can we do to ensure the vibrant presence of local street vendors, community artists, and other ‘welcoming’ aspects of what makes neighborhoods authentic, diverse, and unique?
• How do we empower community-based organizations and neighborhood groups in architecture & design?
• How can we best connect with local business and optimize economic development for all?
• How do we leverage the Regional Alliance Market Place for Procurement (RAMP LA) to achieve greater environmental and social justice?
• What can we do to bring more housing to the region by 2028?
• And what strategic innovations is METRO pursuing to further connect the region?

Encompass 2023 invites architects, urban designers, & civic leaders to explore the intersectional capacity of the 2028 Olympic & Paralympic Games in Los Angeles to burnish a new vision of urban growth that promotes development without displacement, creates sustainable community-based economies, and constructs a healthier and more connected Los Angeles.