California State Polytechnic University, Pomona assistant professor of architecture Aaron Cayer is one of 26 just-announced Andrew Carnegie Fellows this year for his project titled 'The Architecture of Polarization: How Our Buildings and Builders Shape our Politics'. A timely look into the AEC industry’s influence over urban policies and segregation, the project aligns with the philanthropy’s larger $18 million initiative aimed at studying polarization in contemporary America. Cayer, whose first book Incorporating Architects: How American Architecture Became a Practice of Empire will be published by University of California Press later this June, also won the American Academy in Rome’s 2024 Rome Prize for his research. Cayer completed a PhD at UCLA in 2018. He provides some insights into the scope and implications of the project in a brief interview below.  Related on Archinect: The American Academy in Rome announces 2023–24 Rome Prize Winners and Italian FellowsWhat was your motiva...