CEC WEEKLY TIES – Rethinking time as we know it

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,   Underneath this ground covering lies what I imagine to be an exquisite mosaic of the three Horae, daughters of Zeus and Themis, and sisters of the three Fates, patron Goddesses of time and the seasons. Waiting patiently to be restored since its glory in the 3rd century AD, this hidden mosaic in Paphos,…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – When architecture is abused

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  Cyprus, my home country, is the European country where inequality increased the most in the pandemic, with a loss rate of up to 22.4%. “There is considerable inequality in Cyprus in terms of income, wealth, employment, opportunities, and what I would call intergenerational gaps,” Leslie Manison, a former senior economist at the International Monetary…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – In search of alone time

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  The pandemic has brought to the forefront the importance of balancing “togetherness” with “aloneness” in design. We are living in a perplexed state of mind. Before the pandemic, many of us craved time with family members. As it turns out though, too much time together and under stressful situations can negatively impact well-being.…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Reframing the participatory design process

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  A lot has changed since 1986, when in The Image of the Architect, Andrew Saint responded to the crisis in architecture by exploring the evolution of architects’ status in society from the medieval architect to the professional, gentleman, entrepreneur, and businessman. Today, both the pandemic and the protests solidified architects’ and interior designers’ roles…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Launching the “What We Do” page

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  We are excited to announce the launch of the “What We Do” page for Culturally Enriched Communities.  We are “Cultural Enrichers”who advocate for healthy and connected communities in which everyone can thrive and who share the CAST commitment, which means “to form by this process.” Through Consider, Act, Seek, and Transform one can…

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Have a Seat: Participatory design from an architect’s point of view – The Men’s Home

Culturally Enriched Communities

Greg Vendena, Architect with Cyklus, Copenhagen, Denmark Since 1910, The Men’s Home (Mændenes Hjem) has been a Copenhagen institution with a long history of caring for marginalized groups. Offering housing, a warm meal, shelter, treatment, jobs, and more, the organization and place serves the homeless population, many of whom suffer from drug and alcohol addiction, along with a series…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Puffins and World Mental Health Day

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  Saturday Oct. 10 is World Mental Health Day. One of the most touching stories I have read lately comes from the efforts of ornithologist Stephen Kress to bring the puffin back to Maine. Kress theory was that if his team could transplant puffin chicks to Eastern Egg Rock and hand rear them, the birds would create…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Evictions and homelessness

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  An estimated 30-40 million Americans are at risk of eviction, in what maybe the country’s worst housing crisis in its history. Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a temporary halt in residential evictions until the end of the year, it will delay mass evictions but not solve the rental crisis, according to Emily Benfer, a housing…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Refugees in a pandemic

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  Europe’s largest migrant camp on the island of Lesbos, Moria, has been devastated by massive fires early Wednesday. Greek authorities believe that the fires were started by Moria camp residents expressing dissatisfaction with coronavirus-related lockdown measures after 35 people tested positive for Covid-19 earlier this week. The refugee camp is home to an estimated 13,000 people, more than…

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CEC WEEKLY TIES – Sex trafficking and the pandemic

Culturally Enriched Communities

Dear colleagues,  On Aug. 29, the US Marshals Service Missing Child Unit led the search “Operation Not Forgotten” and rescued 39 missing children in Georgia. The children ranged in age from 3 to 17 and some of them, were believed to have been victims of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, and sexual abuse. This gives you an idea of…

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