Steve Lewis on Equity in Architecture

Flanigan's Eco-Logic

In this follow up Convo of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Steve Lewis, Urban Design Principal with the Portland-based firm, ZGF Architects. Steve was also a candidate for the 2026 President at the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He is a facilitator of partnerships and alliances between groups and individuals who seek to use architecture and design to effect positive change to our world.

Steve brings to ZGF a wealth of experience across urban planning and design, most notably holding a post with the City of Detroit where he served as the Design Director for the Central Region of Detroit’s Department of Planning and Development as well as holding a Professorship in Practice, leading design studios focusing on community issues and urban planning at the University of Michigan. He was a founding partner of the firm RAW International in Los Angeles where he helped build a successful design practice over a 20-year period and collaborated with ZGF on memorable projects including the Exposition Park Master Plan and the California Science Center that made a real difference in the fabric of their communities.

From Southern California to Detroit and back, Steve's ethics-driven urban planning and design has made the cities he’s worked in not only more aesthetically beautiful, but also more equitable and representative of the surrounding communities. Following in the footsteps of his father, an architect with a drive for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Steve designs, speaks, mentors, and volunteers tirelessly to advocate for what he believes in and to see those values embodied in the built environment.

He and Ted discuss his AIA Presidential candidacy and campaign experience, the elements of sustainable design, digging into embedded materials, energy use, building decarbonization, and electrification. Steve concludes that he is dedicated to equity in design to affect positive change for the future of architecture.