"Given the dour economic climate in recent years, work in the already precarious field of architecture has dropped precipitously, as clients grow more conservative and project budgets shrink. Architects have had to adapt to the situation, assuming the driver's seat typically filled by clients to advance innovative and self-initiated projects. To get the word out, these designers have integrated crowdsourcing and crowdfunding strategies into their work processes...."
http://architizer.com/blog/architecture-self-initiated-projects