Highlighting Women in Architecture, on International Women’s Day

Anyone who's seen Google's homepage doodle today may be aware that it's International Women's Day. C.C. Sullivan has taken the day as an opportunity to celebrate women in architecture and to highlight related events taking place.

1 minute read

March 8, 2012, 1:00 PM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Sullivan makes note of a slew of events scheduled for today that celebrate and interrogate the role of women in design and development, including a discussion on Architecture and the Great Recession as part of the Women of Architecture series hosted by the National Building Museum, and the International Women of Courage Awards Ceremony which will honor Hana Elhebshi of Libya, a woman architect and activist.

Sullivan also makes note of a pioneer in the field who recently passed on, and contemporary women in architecture that are blazing a path forward.

"The U.S. struggle for women, in all walks of life but also in architecture, is still with us. Just a few weeks ago, the first woman to overcome the racial and gender barrier of this profession, Norma Merrick Sklarek, passed away, leaving a profound and inspiring legacy.

Sklarek's life reminds us how very new African-American women are to the design world. She was the first woman of color to pass the New York exam and the first to be licensed at all, in 1962, and enjoyed an amazing career at the Los Angeles firms Gruen and Associates, Welton Becket Associates and Jerde Partnership. In 1966 she was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects."

Thursday, March 8, 2012 in SmartPlanet

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 18, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of Shirley Chisholm Village four-story housing development with person biking in front.

San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning

SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.

June 8, 2025 - Fast Company

Woman and young girl looking at subway map, woman pointing.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?

Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

June 9, 2025 - John Pobojewski

Close-up of cracked and damaged two-lane roadway with double yellow stripes on a bright sunny day.

Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?

With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.

June 19 - Transportation for America

Group of e-scooters messily parked on street in London with black cab in background.

The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t

Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.

June 19 - Bloomberg CityLab

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19 - Outdoor Life