Pursuing trauma-informed and trauma-responsive approaches across sectors extends to the spaces and settings we inhabit. The Pathways Learning Network convened on May 17, 2023 to learn about advances in the fields of architecture, design, and urban planning that consider the needs of people with lived experiences of trauma to prevent re-traumatization and promote overall well-being, healing, and joy in individuals and communities. This event was held in partnership with the Center on Child Wellbeing and Trauma and was also part of the #WeHealUs campaign to raise awareness of strategies to prevent adversity and build resilience and healing. Read key takeaways from the session on our blog.

In “Designing for Healing, Dignity, and Joy,” Shopworks Architecture provides “The Three C’s” of trauma-informed design: Choice, Community, and Comfort (p. 13), which guide designers to incorporate feedback from the individuals using the spaces, emphasize communal spaces to facilitate relationship building, and ensure comfortable, safe spaces. Attendees heard from Lauren Baker, Vice Chair of the Wonderfund and former First Lady of Massachusetts; Mike Lindstrom of studioMLA Architects; Dana McKinney of Harvard Graduate School of Design, Studio KINN, and enFOLD Collective; and Laura Rossbert of Shopworks Architecture about their work implementing these values and other considerations for creating trauma-informed spaces in correctional facilities, visitation spaces for youth and families, housing for people experiencing homelessness, and public spaces such as community centers and outdoor areas.

Meet the Speakers

Lauren Baker

Vice Chair, Wonderfund
Former First Lady of Massachusetts

Lauren Baker is the former First Lady of Massachusetts alongside her husband, former Governor Charlie Baker. Lauren continues her work to improve the lives of the children of Massachusetts, focusing in particular on the children served by our Department of Children and Families.

Lauren is a veteran of the advertising world in both New York and Boston where she led and managed the development of brand campaigns for consumer products, technology companies and non-profit organizations. Today, Lauren works as a marketing communications consultant, building brand strategies for independent schools with The Baker Group. Her continued passion for service and social responsibility is evident through her current work to increase awareness and raise funds for a number of causes. Lauren actively serves on the Regional Board of Directors for American Red Cross of Massachusetts and is a founding member of the Tiffany Circle Society of Women Leaders. Lauren also serves on the Phoenix Charter Academy Foundation Board which provides private funding to support the programs of The Phoenix Academy Charter Schools serving at-risk teens.

Mike Lindstrom

Founding Principal, studioMLA Architects

As the founding Principal of studioMLA Architects, Mike is responsible for the overall direction of the firm and the ongoing management of the design teams. His direct involvement in projects and ongoing oversight of quality control and professional development help to ensure a consistently high quality of design work and client experience. Mike enjoys traveling, hiking, rowing, good food, and trying to keep up with his very active family.

Mike is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the Harvard University Graduate school of Design and prior to founding studioMLA, has practiced architecture in Paris, New York, and Boston since 1982. In addition to his leadership role at the firm, he is on the board of several non-profit organizations and writes, speaks, and gives workshops on sustainability, adaptive reuse, and the design of children’s educational and play environments. As one of the country’s leading architects in the design of buildings and outdoor spaces for children, Mike has served as an advisor to the American Academy of Pediatrics, taught the Institute on Childcare Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design for seven years, and has been instrumental in organizing the World Forum “onDesign” conferences at UC Berkeley and in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Dana McKinney

Architect and Urban Planner
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Studio KINN, and enFOLD Collective

Dana McKinney is a licensed architect and urban planner, and an outspoken advocate for social justice and equity through design. She contextualizes people and their broader communities throughout her work. Her academic and professional work integrates wellness, progressive public policy, and inclusive economics into innovative design solutions to benefit the most vulnerable populations including formerly incarcerated individuals, persons experiencing homelessness, and the elderly.

Dana currently serves as a Design Critic at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the Department of Urban Planning and Design. She is also the Co-founder of enFOLD Collective, an interdisciplinary architecture, planning, and design practice, which positions community voices at the center of its projects and is the Founder of Studio KINN, a consulting practice that advises on design and planning considerations of social justice, equity, and alternatives to incarceration.

Laura Rossbert

COO and Supportive Housing Specialist, Shopworks Architecture

Laura Rossbert joined Shopworks Architecture in 2019 after co-leading the development of Arroyo Village in Denver, which created a new homeless shelter for women and transgender individuals, 35 units of supportive housing, and 95 units of workforce housing using a trauma-informed lens. Laura brings to Shopworks her experiences as a non-profit leader and community organizer/community engagement specialist. She is using her expertise and knowledge in best practices in homelessness and supportive housing to inform building design at Shopworks and find solutions to barriers to affordable housing, with special attention to trauma, resiliency, and equity.

Event Info

  • Location: Virtual
  • Date: May 17, 2023
  • Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm ET
  • Phone: