Wood buildings play a critical role in the design and development of our communities, making the places we live safer, healthier, livable and more resilient. In support of this year’s AIA theme, Blueprint for Better Cities, Think Wood will attend the AIA Conference on Architecture to share research and resources on the benefits of wood and how it offers better solutions for the communities where we work, live and play. With mounting pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment, smart designers are finding ways to build more responsibly while still meeting operational and structural needs: • Diversity, equity, and inclusion: As the global population continues to rise, so does the need for sustainable housing in sprawling urban areas. Prefabricated wood structures are becoming more common, resulting in safer job sites and shorter construction times. Mass timber buildings, in particular, are roughly 25 percent faster to construct than similar concrete buildings and enable 90 percent less construction traffic. Communities benefit from quicker time-to-market and limited noise and traffic congestion.