Antoine Bryant

Antoine Bryant, NOMA, Assoc. AIA, APA, is a thought leader and community engagement expert, with 20 years of experience in the design, development, engagement and empowerment of underserved communities across the United States.  Working in the public, non-profit, and private arenas, Antoine is well-versed in the demanding language of government regulations and standards, having successfully completed and received funding for HUD 202, 811, and 203K projects, utilized CDBG and HOME funds, as well as Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects.  As Executive Director of Row House Community Development Corporation (Row House CDC), he managed and directed the construction of the award-winning Row House Duplexes, the newest quality affordable housing in Houston’s Third Ward in over 15 years.  Affiliated with the nationally-renowned Project Row Houses, his work in affordable housing acquisition, rehabilitation, development and construction has been recognized throughout the country.

As Principal of The Bryant Design Group, Antoine has focused his efforts on effective and inclusive processes of design and development.  As such, a key building block in said development is the empowerment of the local populace, which has led his efforts to engage communities.  He has worked in South Dallas and Fair Park with Brent Brown and the noted building communities Workshop (bc WORKSHOP); South Side Day Nursery in St. Louis, MO; Neighborhood Recovery CDC in Houston’s Third Ward; the Community Design Research Center of the University of Houston; and the Rice Building Workshop, among many others.  Antoine has utilized his background in planning and design to ensure each of these populations plays an integral role in the further development of their communities.  This process allows for the implementation of vernacular architectural cues, as well as the opportunity to employ newer building techniques and systems – all with the input of the actual historical inhabitants of these neighborhoods.

Recently, Antoine led the engagement and capacity-building efforts in Houston’s Third Ward and Old Spanish Trail/South Union neighborhoods, as a key part of METRO’s Public Affairs team, starting with construction and eventual opening of the Light Rail Southeast Line.  He also was the engagement lead for the Livable Centers Study for Independence Heights and the Greater Northside Management District in Houston.  These studies are part of a national initiative focused on the holistic development of underserved communities.  In the summer of 2016, he was the public engagement lead for APA’s nationally recognized Community Planning Action Team’s (CPAT) first international study, in Belize City, Belize.  In all of Antoine’s work, intentional efforts are made at empowering indigenous populations who have undergone various levels of disenfranchisement, and ensuring that they have a deliberate voice in the improvement and growth of their community.  As a result of these efforts, significant infrastructure enhancements have occurred, as well as new partnerships between these populations, elected officials, and City and regional staff.  Locally, Antoine plays a tremendous role in the growth of the City, as a member of the City of Houston Planning Commission.

Antoine has been a featured speaker at Structures for Inclusion, a national community design conference; at the National Organization of Minority Architects International Exposition for the past seven (7) years; a repeated panelist for the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Urban Marketplace; and at the Planning and the Black Community Division of the American Planning Association.  While with Row House CDC, Antoine was featured on the nationally-syndicated television show “While You Were Out.”  Antoine has earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Urban and Regional Planning from Cornell University, with architectural training at the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School of Architecture, and study-abroad experience in Tokyo, Japan.