Nine Women Leading the Public Interest Design Field

Rennie Jones of Architizer highlights nine women pioneering a variety of successful and poignant public interest design projects around the world.

1 minute read

August 21, 2014, 6:00 AM PDT

By Maayan Dembo @DJ_Mayjahn


As Rennie Jones writes in Architizer, "traditional courtship between architects and projects of public interest relied on the mediation of benefactors with bank rolls who chaperoned the impassioned relationship between the architect and his work to ensure all appearances were in order." However, as architects begin to shift their focus from working with these benefactors, to working within the public interest, the "client" has morphed from the project financiers, to the end users. These people, in dialogue with the architect, participate in the conception and construction of the project.

According to Jones, "Women are an inspiring presence in this sector of design and, in another trend that contrasts tradition, they are being recognized for it. There are many women (and men!) who put in the sweat and lack of sleep to establish the field, but here we will highlight nine of the next young guns."

Some of the women included are Emily Pilloton of Project H Design, Julia King, Ceara O'Leary at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center, Marika Shioiri-Clark of MASS Design Group, and Deanna VanBuren of FOURM Design Studio, among many others.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 in Architizer

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

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

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.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

3 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

4 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press