ACSA seeks to ‘reset programs’ after controversy from JAE Palestine issue cancellation

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has published details on reforms it is undertaking following the fallout from its Board’s decision last year to halt publication of the Journal of Architectural Education’s Fall 2026 issue 79:2 Palestine.

As Archinect reported at the time, the edition asked participants to examine the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The issue was canceled in February 2025, with the board saying that “in the current legal and political climate, organizations must weigh the ability to operate with their values and mission to resist injustice.”

The decision led to claims of academic censorship, a petition to reinstate the issue, and a call to boycott the ACSA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, which was scheduled to be held one month later.

Destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike on the El-Remal area in Gaza City on October 9, 2023. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed)

Following the controversy, the ACSA created a specia...