Study Architecture 
ProPEL Do you want to amplify your research and shape public discourse on the relationship between public health and the built environment? This program equips architecture faculty with tools to publish op-eds, engage broader publics, and contribute to policy conversations about how design and planning shape health outcomes across scales. Potential topics include indoor environmental quality, building performance, housing, affordability, displacement, neighborhood form, walkability, transit, land use, and environmental justice.
The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has established an extended training opportunity for faculty to expand the public reach and impact of their research on the spatial determinants of health. Decades of research within the disciplines of architecture, urban design, and urban planning establish that the built environment plays a fundamental role in shaping physical, mental, and social well-being across scales—from buildings to neighborhoods to metropolitan regions. For the third consecutive year, ACSA is partnering with The Op-Ed Project to equip faculty with strategies for public-facing communication and knowledge translation. This program is intended for architecture faculty whose research explores the spatial determinants of health and seeks to strengthen its impact on public discourse and policy.
ACSA will select a cohort of twelve academics to participate in The Op-Ed Project’s Write to Change the World workshops. The Op-Ed Project is a leadership and research organization dedicated to expanding the public impact of underrepresented scholarly perspectives and fostering networks of knowledge exchange among journalists, scholars, and public intellectuals. The workshops are conducted entirely online and bring together participants from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and intellectual traditions. Delivered over two consecutive days in 3.5-hour sessions, the workshops provide participants with frameworks for generating public-facing research narratives, strategies for timely engagement with public discourse, structured approaches to op-ed development, and opportunities for peer exchange. Participants will explore the sources of credibility, the patterns and elements of persuasion, the difference between being “right” and being effective, how to think more expansively about their expertise, and ways to amplify the impact of their scholarship. After the workshop, academics will enjoy three months of access to The OpEd Project’s Mentor-Editor network.
In addition, ACSA will offer workshops led by public health experts and allied organizations focused on the spatial determinants of health and the role of the built environment in shaping human health and well-being. By May 2027, participants will complete the workshops and produce an op-ed for submission to a local, regional, or national news outlet.
Key Dates
April 22, 2026 | Submission Deadline |
May 2026 | Academics Announced |
June-August 2026 | Academics select dates to participate in The OpEd Project workshops. |
May 2027 | Academics complete full drafts of op-ed articles and submit copies to ACSA. |
Eligibility
Faculty at ACSA member schools are eligible to apply.
Review Process
A jury from the ACSA Research & Scholarship Committee will review applications and select the academic cohort. We strongly encourage applications from ACSA members who are traditionally underrepresented within architectural institutions, the profession, and dominant media narratives about the relationship between the built environment and human health and well-being.
Submission
Submissions will be accepted through an online interface and must be received by April 22, 2026. The final submission must contain the following:
- Contact Information: name, title, institute, & e-mail
- Cover Sheet: confirming you have created or reviewed a My ACSA profile (DOWNLOAD cover sheet)
- Resume: two-page summary of selected accomplishments*
- Question Responses:
1. Propose a one-sentence headline (25 words) and a 100-word thesis for a future op-ed on the built environment’s impact on health and well-being. (125 words)
2. Describe an ongoing research project focused on spatial determinants of health, emphasizing how it could engage the general public. (250 words)
3. Describe ways that this academy will help you advance underrepresented topics, projects, and/or voices around spatial determinants of health. (250 words)
4. Describe your interest in contributing to the popular discourse on spatial determinants of health. (250 words)
* Resume should be submitted in PDF format, with no more than two letter-sized (8.5” x 11”) pages, plus the Cover Sheet (3-pages total PDF for submission).
Evaluation Rubric
- Clarity and impact of the op-ed proposal’s headline and thesis.
- Capacity to contribute to popular discourse on spatial determinants of health, as evidenced by an emerging or existing body of research.
- Potential to advance underrepresented topics, projects, and/or voices around spatial determinants of health
- Capacity and motivation to contribute to the popular discourse on spatial determinants of health
Health & Well-Being Resources
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Eric Wayne Ellis
Senior Director of Operations and Programs
eellis@acsa-arch.org
202-785-2324
