Nyasha Harper-Michon, a constructive woman

Anuliina Savolainen
UNESCO

Sometimes inventing a new world order requires unearthing the foundations of the old one. For Nyasha Harper-Michon, an Amsterdam-based architect, this led to her breakup with a certain man.

They don’t have much in common. On a top shelf designed for this 1.80-meter-tall man, she could barely reach a jar. Where he maintains a regular pattern of daily commuting to work, her workplace and schedule vary from day to day. To move around in the city, he drives a car whereas she cycles or uses public transportation. In short, their needs and uses of the city are very different.

Nevertheless, the city, its housing and urban spaces were tailor-made for him. “He’s the Reference Man. I have designed for him many times, that’s what we learn to do in architecture school. He is used as the standard, the archetype of the average person for whom everything is designed: our houses, our cities, the size of our streets, the chairs that we sit on, even our mugs,” she says. “Designing solely for this guy creates a very exclusive world: it excludes those who do not resemble him, like women, older people and people with disabilities.” 

And yet, it took her a while to wake up and realize how incompatible they were. “See how ubiquitous and pervasive it is, that even I myself could have been so blind to it!” she exclaims. This realization profoundly changed her approach to architecture.

At an early age, Nyasha Harper-Michon already knew she wanted to become an architect. She was born in 1993 in Paris, France, to a family of Trinidadian origin. Later, she studied architecture in Paris and Amsterdam. 

However, in her studies and early practice, she felt a growing disconnect between what she was learning and what she thought architecture could be. “I guess it’s a bit of a mixture between my multicultural background and my millennial purpose-seeking mindset,” she ponders, “I started to feel that architecture could do so much more to create a more regenerative, inclusive and net-zero built environment to live, work, be in.” In other words, an environment where everybody belongs.

Her vocation remains intact, but instead of building houses she now practices her profession in another way. She has become an “archtivist”: a term coined by her for architects and design professionals driving environmental and social reform to foster positive changes. As a strategic development manager for UNStudio, an architectural design practice based in Amsterdam, she liaises with real estate and building industry actors on creating social and environmental value in the building realm. In parallel, she teaches in two Dutch universities. 

She is also a sought-after public speaker and influencer. Her calling takes her from local WomenMakeTheCity movement meetings to global venues, such as the World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July 2023.

The event’s theme, "Sustainable futures: leave no one behind", itself emphasizes a change in attitude within the industry towards more inclusive architecture. For Harper-Michon, the climate crisis and social inequality are inextricably intertwined.

“When talking about sustainability we like to think of the environmental aspects first: things like energy efficiency or carbon emissions are measurable and easier to grasp and tackle. The social aspects are much harder to quantify. But you can’t really tackle the climate crisis if you ignore this dimension.”

Change can sometimes be achieved through very concrete actions. Installing benches, for example, encourages the elderly or people with reduced mobility to go outside instead of staying at home, because a bench allows them to take a rest. Another example: green areas reduce summer heat in cities and increase residents’ well-being. But it will only work if the change is equal.

“We know that affluent neighbourhoods tend to be greener than lower-income ones. But we cannot have green areas for our affluent citizens only,” she stresses. “Green policies have to be coupled with initiatives of affordable housing, inclusionary zoning and the like. By thinking holistically, we can create both natural and socially inclusive neighbourhoods.”

Nyasha Harper-Michon has been directly involved in implementing such ideas through her work with the Amsterdam municipality on urban planning in Zuid Oost, a borough undergoing urban renewal. “It’s an area grappling with friction between the community and municipal urban endeavours amid ongoing gentrification. Those shaping the plans often lacked intimate knowledge of the community, so it is also about trying to build connections and create common ground,” she explains.

In her efforts to advocate for a more open city, the architect uses social networks extensively to reach out to young people, who are often very concerned about the future. Nyasha Harper-Michon observes this among her students. “There's a lot of anxiety, and at such a young age. It’s worrying, but it can also motivate them to take action.”

Social networks can be an effective tool to raise awareness among youth. Harper-Michon sees social media, despite its downsides, as a part of the solution: it can be used to share knowledge and to create a sense of community. “If used wisely, social media can be a powerful tool for shaking things up and influencing decision-making.”

Change, however, is generally a slow process in urban planning. A city cannot be transformed overnight. Today Amsterdam is considered one of Europe's most sustainable cities with its "green" buildings and wide network of cycle paths. Yet this wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the city began investing in cycling infrastructure due to the high death rates of cyclists and pedestrians. It took a lot of protests and forty years of urban planning and policy work to create the Amsterdam we know today. 

Therefore, patience and perseverance are essential virtues. This is something Nyasha Harper-Michon tells young architects, whose urge for instant gratification and the need to question established practices often collides with the slow pace of construction processes. “Buildings built today were designed five-ten years ago, so the impact of the new ways of doing things are not immediately visible. But we need to be patient!”

The first tip she gives aspiring “archtivists” is to open their eyes. “Think of how you experience the city and share this with others. You’ll realize that we all experience the same space in different ways. Showing the example by biking to class or work or making a nice garden in front of your house can already make a difference. Or you can take it further and lead a group, or even go into politics. Everyone has their path.”