School of Landscape Architecture & Planning Rankings & Awards

A team led by CAPLA’s Sandra Bernal Cordova, Altaf Engineer, and Ladd Keith has received a $250,000 grant over two years from the Office of Research and Partnerships through the inaugural Big Idea Challenge. Their project, the Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium (HHRIC), aims to develop community-centered solutions to the growing threat of extreme heat. The team—comprising experts from across the University of Arizona—will focus on wearable biosensors, mobile cooling and care structures, health system algorithms, and AI-powered education tools. Their innovations, including the solar-powered CHILL-IT Health Oasis and telemedicine-equipped Kiosk Care, aim to improve public health and infrastructure resilience in Arizona and beyond.

As Montse Estrany Bover graduates with a Master of Science in Architecture from CAPLA, she leaves with a prestigious research award for her thesis on Catalunya’s historic agricultural landscapes. Now working at an architecture firm in Spain, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. to continue blending research and practice.

More than 40 landscape architecture students were recognized for showcasing exceptional talent and innovation during the Arizona Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects Awards Gala & Expo.

An interdisciplinary team of faculty and students from the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) and the College of Humanities has been named a finalist in the international 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition.

Master of Landscape Architecture students Annalise Hummel, Christian Aguilar Murrieta and Cordell Lee were honored for highlighting the need for smart watering solutions to support tree planting as a cost-effective way to mitigate urban heat.

Lecturer Kenny Wong has been selected to join the 2024 cohort of the Academy for Public Scholarship on the Built Environment: Climate Action.

Gina Chorover, a senior lecturer in Planning and Landscape Architecture and faculty chair of the Heritage Conservation certificate program, and Teresa DeKoker, an alumna of the Master of Landscape Architecture program, were recognized for their comprehensive analysis of the Quitobaquito landscape within Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument with a Tucson - Pima County Historical Commission Historic Preservation Award in May.

An interdisciplinary team of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture won the national 2024 Bank of America Low-Income Housing Challenge.

The Association for Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) has awarded Drachman Institute Director and Associate Professor Courtney Crosson with a Practice + Leadership Honorable Mention for the Relocalize Our Food project.

The College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture is proud to acknowledge August and Gina Benzien as the 2023-2024 Alumni of the Year. The Benziens are among 15 alumni chosen from across the University of Arizona who will be honored during the Alumni of the Year Awards Ceremony on February 22.

MSUP student Ash Avila received the prestigious Dwight D. Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, allowing her to explore the urban planning and transportation field, with a focus on climate and urban issues. Her long-term plan involves working on city government initiatives and pursuing a Ph.D. in the field.

Arthur C. Nelson, an emeritus professor of urban planning and real estate development, has received the Western Planner 2023 Stan Steadman Article of the Year award for his “Homes on the Range” article series.