Fostering community

Through our innovation work, the BSA will bring together people from different disciplines, with different experiences, and from different perspectives who are invested in being part of our city’s future. Our diverse network and engaged community is uniquely positioned to harness the power of design to address social and environmental issues in Greater Boston.

We want to unleash the creativity of our 4,500 members and diverse partners to explore new ideas, approaches, and models—and work side by side in collaboration to address the built environment equity and climate challenges facing us.

Launching big ideas

The BSA will work with architects, communities, and other stakeholders to identify the greatest opportunities for tackling climate and equity challenges in the built environment. We will then put out a series of Requests for Innovations, seeking proposals focused on these opportunities, and select those with the most potential.

At any given time, the BSA may be involved in 10 or more initiatives. We will lead efforts where it makes sense and take a supporting role in cases where architects and designers are best suited as consultants and collaborators. The BSA will provide resources, expertise, professional connections, and more, tailored to each initiative and its needs.

RFI Finalists

Interested in learning more about this work? Click the button below to view ideas on how to do architecture differently.

Learn more

How might we do architecture differently?

For its inaugural Request for Innovations, the BSA is seeking proposals focused on changes to the art and practice of architecture that have strong potential to address built environment equity and climate challenges.

We want to catalyze the expertise of architects, designers, community members, policymakers, academics, and others to push ideas forward in actionable ways. Together, we will experiment with new ways of working that acknowledge, and push beyond, the limitations of traditional or conventional architecture practice. We welcome proposals that include partners across disciplines, lived experiences, and diverse points of view.

The RFI period is now closed.

Questions? Visit the FAQ page or see the full RFI text.

upcoming Events

June 30, 2026

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Tour of Newmarket Farms - An Example of Rooftop Urban Farming

Building on Success

Starting more than a decade ago, the BSA began a series of initiatives to explore solutions to built environment challenges in Greater Boston. Our innovation work will be continually informed by what we have learned and continue to learn through these efforts. Read about a few of the early initiatives already underway.