What Does Community-Centered Design Look Like in Detroit? Albert Kahn’s Fefe Asidi Has an Answer
Fejiro “Fefe” Asidi, Associate and member of the mechanical engineering team at Albert Kahn Associates.
For Fejiro "Fefe" Asidi, equitable design practice is more than a procedure, it is a crucial part of architecture and engineering. As an important member of our mechanical engineering team at Albert Kahn Associates and a rising leader within Detroit’s architecture and engineering community, Fefe understands that the buildings we design carry a responsibility to the people who will eventually use them every day.
That belief became a community conversation on June 12, 2026, when Fefe organized and led a thought-provoking session for the AIA Detroit Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program (CKLDP), titled “Engaging the Community.” This three-part event was held at the Helen Moore Community Center in Detroit, bringing together designers, housing advocates, health equity practitioners, and community organizers to explore one shared question: What does it look like when architecture, government involvement, and community engagement work together? As it turns out, the answer looks a lot like the work being done in Detroit today.
Foundation Built on Purpose
Originally from Delta State, Nigeria and raised in the United States, Fefe recalls always having a love for architecture. That passion guided Fefe’s decision to pursue a Master’s in Architectural Engineering with a specialization in Mechanical Engineering from Lawrence Tech University, where she also made history as the first Black woman to join the Xi Beta Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity. But she wasn’t just a member for long. Fefe quickly rose to leadership roles in fundraising, community service, and events. Her focus, even then, was on impact and bringing every voice and every perspective into the rooms where she was leading.
Fefe joined Albert Kahn Associates in 2023, right after graduation. Since then, she has contributed to major projects including VinFast Auto Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Facility and one of the largest largest battery manufacturing plants in the US. Continuing her track record of hard work and excellence, Fefe was also recently promoted to Associate, a distinction that celebrates a commitment to collaboration, continuous learning, and supporting the rest of the Kahn team. It’s a description that fits Fefe perfectly.
60 Days to Prepare
Organizing the “Engaging the Community” session was no small undertaking. Fefe worked alongside teammates Erica Muldoon (Project Architect, Ghafari Associates) and Daria Gusienova (Designer, HOK + Rossetti) to build a session that focused on public policy, community, architecture, and grassroots activism. The session would be three parts, with only 60 days to fundraise, find speakers, and organize.
The planning process itself became a lesson in what collaboration actually requires. While Fefe had a grassroots perspective on community engagement, influenced by her life experiences, her peers had a more institutional, government-and-architecture approach to the project. The intersection of activism and architecture became a common denominator in the group and heavily influenced the project moving forward.
To finance the session, Fefe spearheaded the fundraising efforts, raising $2,000 in the first two weeks. A third of the $6,000 total that was received from sponsors. She used her fundraising background and strong initiative to strategically reach out to outside organizations for sponsorships. Fefe credits co-workers and mentors Kim Montague (President and CEO), Filza Walters (Director of Mechanical engineering), Stephanie Meiers (Director of Marketing & PR), and Annette Popiel-Hammerle (Director of Business Development), for supporting and influencing her fundraising efforts. She was inspired by a book received from Kahn President and CEO Montague that encouraged her to find the motivation behind her work. When she tailored her pitch to include the reasons why she was passionate, she started seeing the results.
Finding the speakers was a pleasant surprise for Fefe. Initially not knowing how to get in contact with speakers, the group ended up with ten individuals who were eager to join the session. Finding fellow community members and working professionals who are also passionate about community-centered design would lay the foundation for this impactful event.
Members of the Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program outside of the “Engaging the Community” session.
"Engaging the Community” Session
The session itself showcased community engagement in a variety of formats:
Part I focused on Community Impact Conversations featuring three speakers whose work models community-centered design, and how it relates to housing, health, and public spaces in Detroit. Rev. Fowler of Tiny Homes Detroit (Cass Community Social Services) presented a rent-to-own housing model designed not to just shelter people, but to stabilize them, creating a genuine pathway to homeownership and financial independence. Anthony Williams of Corktown Health, Michigan's first nonprofit LGBTQ+-focused community health clinic, made the case that affirming, inclusive environments are not a luxury, but a clinical necessity. Williams emphasized that the Corktown Health building itself is a part of the excellence and care that patients receive, and it should be a welcoming, calming, and inspirational experience for all. Lisa Suave of “Do Good Work” shared a series of small-scale urban design interventions: parking spaces reimagined as civic plazas, murals commissioned by property owners, and storefronts activated with materials later redistributed to shelters. These innovative solutions demonstrate how design can create community value even at the smallest scale.
Part II included a tour of the renovations of the Helen Moore Community Center, led by designers and project managers. The center is named after Helen "Mother" Moore, the longtime Detroit activist who spent almost six decades fighting for racial justice, educational equity, and parental empowerment for Black children in the Detroit Public Schools system. Listening to and developing a deeper connection with the people of Detroit through the process is something that stood out to Fefe. Community involvement made the Helen Moore Community Center what it is today, and that collaboration is something Fefe found inspirational.
Designers and project managers lead a renovation tour of the Helen Moore Community Center in Detroit, a space honoring activist Helen "Mother" Moore's six-decade legacy of racial justice and educational equity for Black Detroiters.
Part III concluded the session with a hands-on Community Engagement workshop. This workshop allowed participants to explore opportunities for communities in a group setting. Three major themes of this workshop were:
- Identifying the biggest priorities and concerns for the community.
- The importance of listening to those who will be impacted by changes in the community.
- Looking at spaces as opportunities, not deficits.
Participants collaborate during a hands-on Community Engagement workshop, identifying priorities, centering community voices, and reimagining Detroit spaces as opportunities for growth and impact.
Living the Legacy
Fefe’s session demonstrates the meaning community engagement. From motivation to construction, community engagement is intentional, understanding, and persistent. It also involves bringing a bit of empathy. “Everything I do has an effect on other people,” Fefe says. “The buildings we make are made for real people, and our work has a real impact on the lives of others.”
Albert Kahn Associates has been a part of the Detroit landscape for over a century, but that legacy depends on more than beautiful spaces. It depends on new generations of innovative design thinkers like Fefe. That's the kind of leadership we're proud to have at Albert Kahn.
Fejiro "Fefe" Asidi is a member of the mechanical engineering team and Associate at Albert Kahn Associates. She is currently a participant in the AIA Detroit Christopher Kelly Leadership Development Program (CKLDP). Albert Kahn Associates is a Detroit-based architecture, engineering, and consulting firm committed to design excellence and community impact. Learn more about careers at Albert Kahn Associates: https://albertkahn.com/careers