Commits to Inclusive Capitalism.
A part of our Shared Value Initiative. Discover how we’re making capitalism trusted, responsible, fair, dynamic, and sustainable.
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Over the past year, Able City has worked with our employees to foster and uphold the four pillars of inclusive capitalism. As part of our unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability, we proudly present the following key commitments guiding our actions and decisions.
To Planet
To People
To Governance
To Properity
At Able City, we believe in the transformative power of Inclusive Capitalism. It’s not just an economic model; they are Commitments to create a world where opportunities and prosperity are accessible to all. By championing EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY, ensuring EQUITABLE OUTCOMES, and fostering intergenerational FAIRNESS, we’re shaping a future where every individual, regardless of background, can thrive.
Planet
Able City champions sustainable designs and renewable energy for a greener future.
People
We value and empower our community, ensuring inclusivity and growth for all.
Prosperity
Able City drives equitable growth, making prosperity accessible to everyone.
Governance
We stand for integrity, transparency, and ethical leadership at every step
Commitments To Planet
Carbon-Neutral Design
Life Cycle Analysis
Active Transportation
Renewable Energy
Reduce Water Consumption
Paper and Plastic Reduction
Planting Trees
Tree Preservation
Specs and Practices
Educate and Advocate
Carbon-Neutral Design
Able City commits to designing for carbon neutrality in all new construction and major renovation projects by 2030. Able City will begin by phasing its employees through the AIA 2030 class, establishing a knowledge base from which to reinvent our design and specs methodology.
Life Cycle Analysis
By 2025, Able City will train 100% of architectural and planning associates to perform life cycle analysis on all projects; employees, aided eventually with resource booklets, will be expected to educate and persuade clients to adhere to a high standard of climate stewardship.
Active Transportation
Able City, effective in 2022, will partially subsidize the cost of mass transit to reduce total automobile greenhouse gas emissions. Employees whose commute consists of 75% mass transit or cycling will qualify for a subsidy of $300.
Renewable Energy
Able City currently uses Green Mountain Energy for their Laredo office. Able City will research rebates for more energy efficient systems and commits to saving energy by turning off all computers after hours.
Reduce Water Consumption
Able City will spec low-use toilets and fixtures on all projects and install low use-toilets and fixtures in our new office buildings. Able City will become a resource of best practices in water pollution and push for sustainable alternatives, explaining financial incentives through our booklets and client conversations.
Paper and Plastic Reduction
Able City commits to a 50% reduction of paper use and 100% investment in recycled paper. The firm will not purchase single-use plastic items such as disposable cutlery or water bottles.
Planting Trees
Able City commits to planting 125 native trees over five years, which will be scheduled either independently or in coordination with other local tree planting initiatives. We will partner with local organizations to focus specifically on the land health of areas near our offices in Laredo, San Antonio, and the Rio Grande Valley.
Tree Preservation
We will continue promoting native species and focus on preserving existing tree landscapes.
Specs and Practices
Able City will reduce carbon transport emissions by beginning to specify products sourced within 500 miles when available. Over the next two years, Able City will work with sub-consultants to prioritize and incentivize sustainable design choices, including researching and implementing an appropriate library of standards.
Educate and Advocate
Able City will produce booklets targeted specifically to school district and developer clients. Booklets will be the starting point for an educational campaign that will built into a presentation circuit.
Themes include: 1) renewable energy 2) preservation of land 3) retrofit 4) recycling 5) landscaping.
Arguments will focus on financial incentives and long-term returns on investment. For schools, we will include a focus on gardening and on safety through natural design. For developers, angles might include access to parks and alternative transit.
Commitments To People
Parental Leave Policy
Onboarding Clarity
Flexible WFH Schedule
Employee appreciation
Equity in hiring/recruitment
Equity at firm
Healthy behavior
Work/life balance
Continued education
Bilingual support
Parental Leave Policy
All positions will be held by three months, per law, but to support new mothers and fathers financially, Able City will offer one month PTO and two additional months of WFH should the parent choose to continue earning. Aflac is now offered at company rate to allow employees to purchase STD which can be used to augment paid time off for maternity leave.
Onboarding Clarity
Able City will communicate a clear and transparent policy about paid/unpaid time, flexible schedules, and Friday half-days as part of clarified onboarding. In developing a 1-2 day long program, we will offer more effective introduction to Able City policies, practices, and performance — including as they relate to the achievement of these commitments.
Flexible WFH Schedule
To improve employee wellbeing as well as reduce commute- and office-related greenhouse gas emissions, Able City will institute a 20% work-from-home allowance effective upon this summer’s return to the office. This includes a hard commitment of investing more seriously in check-out laptops and technology to improve access when requested.
Employee appreciation
Yes! We appreciate you. Care packages, as suggested, are a great expression of gratitude. As a close-knit community, we want to offer a more personalized thanks.
Equity in hiring/recruitment
Able City understands the architecture’s need for more inclusive practices and commits to at least 50% of all employee candidate interviews being women and will seek to reflect local racial demographics similarly. Able City recognizes the importance of diversity to our firm’s culture, mission, and performance, and will re-evaluate its recruitment and job posting strategies to specifically welcome applicants of all abilities, sexualites, races, and ethnicities.
Equity at firm
Able City actively encourages the creation of peer-support networks. In addition to formally supporting peer-support in the exploring mentorship and buddy systems, we commit to monitoring for equity and fostering a culture of where historically disadvantaged groups feel comfortable discussing potential equity issues with leadership.
Healthy behavior
All employees have a right to take 10 minute breaks to stretch and walk around as needed. We commit to providing healthier foods at Lunch n’ Learns and other company-sponsored events.
Work/life balance
Our field is demanding. It is also rewarding for those who are passionate about what we do. Able City will propose a framework by end of 2021 to continue to compete in our field while promoting work/life balance. To assist in developing this framework, employees should feel encouraged to share any work/life balance concerns with their supervisors.
Continued education
Able City will develop a resource library and structure the Lunch N’ Learn more robustly to serve as a model for continued education. Field trips and guest speakers will be built into the Lunch N’ Learn framework to add variety; Able City will schedule two half-day a year for field trips to architecturally significant locations or past projects.
Topics for possible Lunch N’ Learns, as gathered from this commitment process, include: reviewing building codes, city amendments and ADA, as well as dedicating one Lunch n’ Learn to city-making specifically.
Bilingual support
Able City in 2021 will create more informal and formal language support. Informally, a buddy system will help offer casual, no-cost language support either to native Spanish speakers learning English or native English speakers looking to improve their Spanish. Able City es orgullosamente bilingue.
Commitments To Properity
Fellowship
Internships
Licensing
Transparency
Transparency, cont.
Transparent payscale
Retirement benefits
Fellowship
Able City will support the community by inaugurating a one-week paid fellowship in 2022. To ground the program locally, fellows will be freshmen and sophomores at local community colleges or high school students. No previous architectural experience is required; in fact, fellows will be encouraged to use Able City’s diverse services as an opportunity to learn and get professional experience in areas outside of their primary study.
Students from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.
Internships
Internships are a great avenue to become more active in the local community. By 2022, Able City will have developed a recruitment, mentoring, and training model to strengthen the community focus of our internship program. A ‘cohort’ will offer more peer-to-peer connection, and adding a CityMakery specific internship can further our policy and legislative goals. Candidates from underserved communities are encouraged to apply.
Licensing
Able City will institute a fund in 2022 to cover dues for one values-aligned leadership position in a community or industry organization. Recipients are expected to include important information on the community calendar and make relevant announcements at staff meetings.
Existing support includes: payment for exams and study materials. The development of an online and physical resource library will be open to the public.
Transparency
We have already begun monitoring project budget performance with PM’s. This will be expanded. Able City will begin establishing framework for sharing financial performance with the team, including privacy and disclosure standards and commitments.
Budget transparency and employee performance transparency go hand-in-hand as part of the shared-value initiative. Able City will prioritize transparency on performance measures within 6 months.
Transparency, cont.
We value years put into Able City. We will work on committing a portion of profits to a profit-sharing program. Parameters for eligibility of employees for profit-sharing will be established as well.
Beyond profit-sharing, there is an existing path to becoming a partner. Within six months, we will publish the path and initiate supporting activities to encourage the addition of partners.
Transparent payscale
Able City will publish information on the payscale range per position.
Retirement benefits
By June 1st, Able City will open retirement benefit accounts to employees; upon establishing healthy working capital reserves and profit forecasts, we will begin a 3% contribution of yearly salary into retirement accounts.
For international employees, Able City by 2022 will put 3% of their retirement contribution towards immigration costs.
Commitments To Governance
Participation in local government
Industry and community leadership
CityMakery
Performance training
Shared Value Initiative
Open communication
Team-building
Participation in local government
Able City will dedicate 200 hours annually toward legislative advocacy.
In May 2021, we will dedicate a Lunch n’ Learn to discussing causes we consider most central to Able City’s values, whether that’s climate or affordable housing. We will offer more training on legislative advocacy and foster a culture around active civic engagement.
Industry and community leadership
Able City will develop a fund in 2022 to cover dues for one values-aligned leadership position in community or industry organizations. Recipients are expected to include important information on the community calendar and make relevant announcements.
CityMakery
Able City will dedicate a minimum of 350 hours on an annual basis to the development of advocacy engagement tools with its non-profit affiliate, CityMakery, to enhance participation and collaboration with local governments. The first step will be reactivating CityMakery through appointing a new board member; one of CityMakery’s first agenda items will be exploring a certificate, which would become eligible for Able City staff to pilot. https://www.citymakery.com/
Performance training
Able City, before its last round of employee evaluations of 2021, will explore tests and resources to tailor development in the firm to individual needs. Kiersey is in progress as a way to test and strengthen qualities and capabilities as part of new leadership training.
Shared Value Initiative
Able City, proud of everyone’s contributions to our shared-value initiative, will assert our values publicly on the website. Interested employees are invited to attend weekly Communications and Outreach meetings — email any member of the Communications and Outreach team for details — in order to have more of a voice in our decision-making around business development.
Open communication
After each Lunch n’ Learn, a partner, principal, or other representative will host a 20 minute office hours to act as a listening session. Employees are encouraged to use the space to voice new ideas and ask questions about the status of firmwide initiatives, including these commitments.
Team-building
Every Lunch n’ Learn will end, prior to office hours, with 10 minutes of ‘open floor’ share time. In this time, employees are encouraged to make announcements, discuss local community organizations and events they are a part of, and use the platform to plan and coordinate activities outside of work.
Building an Inclusive and Sustainable Future.
Able City operates on core principles: ensuring equal opportunities for all, aiming for equitable results, prioritizing long-term benefits without compromising the future, and actively supporting those facing societal challenges. These values drive our mission for a more inclusive world.
Why Inclusive Capitalism?
-It’s part of our SHARED VALUE INITIATIVE.
Member of The Council for Inclusive Capitalism.
Join Our Commitment to Building Prosperous, Equitable Communities.