Our faculty conduct a wide array of transformative research related to development, planning, design and the built environments.
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Our Research Stories
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The Washington Post Built a Fake City to Demonstrate Extreme Heat: CAPLA’s Ladd Keith Provides Expert Analysis
“Welcome to Meltsville,” reads the new sign for a fake metropolis featured this week in The Washington Post. The interactive article relies on the expert analysis of Ladd Keith, assistant professor of planning and sustainable built environments at CAPLA, who provides insight on extreme heat's effects on infrastructure.
Why do roads, runways and railways warp in extreme heat?
Buckled roads, warped train tracks and expanded bridges are a stark reminder of the need to adapt our infrastructure to a warming planet. Heat can impact all types of physical infrastructure, but roads, runways and railways may be among the most vulnerable, says CAPLA Assistant Professor Ladd Keith.
How Can an Old Golf Course Fight Climate Change? Study by CAPLA Lecturer and Alumna Offers Insight for Bloomberg Article
A 2017 study by Kelly Cederberg ’13 MLA, a CAPLA adjunct lecturer in landscape architecture, has been cited by Bloomberg in a story on how the Trust for Public Land is converting the San Geronimo Golf Course in Marin County, California, into a park and restored habitat for endangered wildlife.
The Washington Post Interviews CAPLA Professor on Creating ‘Cool Corridors’ to Counter Extreme Heat
Assistant Professor of Planning and Sustainable Built Environments Ladd Keith was interviewed by The Washington Post about the City of Tucson's Cool Pavement Program as well as the inequitable impacts of extreme heat on communities, the concepts behind "cool corridors" and more.
Legacy Beyond the Numbers: Honoring Arthur C. Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Urban Planning and Real Estate Development
When Arthur C. Nelson retired from the University of Arizona in May 2022, he considered his legacy—not just at the University of Arizona, but across his distinguished, 38-year career in higher education following 12 years in the planning profession.
Cities are Heating Up—Here's How Urban Planners Should Prepare
As heat waves blaze across the United States, CAPLA's Ladd Keith, assistant professor of planning and sustainable built environments, says city planners should take the lead in managing and mitigating extreme heat. Read this Q&A to learn more.
Student and Faculty Research Leads to ‘Most Endangered Historic Places’ Designation for Buffalo Soldier Camp
Thanks to research by CAPLA's Heritage Conservation Project Director Helen Erickson and graduate students Sarah McDowell and Teresa DeKoker, the Buffalo Soldier military establishment Camp Naco in Southeastern Arizona has been listed by the U.S. National Trust for Historic Preservation's as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2022.
Planning for Urban Heat Resilience: Professor Ladd Keith Partners with American Planning Association on Essential Publication
Thanks to a partnership with the American Planning Association, CAPLA's Ladd Keith and ASU's Sara Meerow have published a comprehensive guide for planners and their communities to equitably prepare for urban heat resilience and mitigation: Planning for Urban Heat Resilience.
Ketchup, the Telephone and Cherry Coke: CAPLA Scholar Explains How World's Fairs Bring Inventions to the Public
World's fairs introduced us to Heinz ketchup, the Ferris wheel, the telephone and countless other now-ubiquitous innovations. Lisa Schrenk, a CAPLA associate professor who studies world's fairs, has helped establish a new institute to study how the events impact global society. Learn more in this interview.
Extreme heat is the deadliest climate hazard in the U.S. How are urban planners tackling it?
In a paper published in December 2021 in the Journal of the American Planning Association, ASU's Sara Meerow and UArizona's Ladd Keith analyzed the results of their extreme heat survey of planners from diverse cities across the United States to establish baseline information for a growing area of planning practice and scholarship that future research can build on.
Inaugural Institute for the Study of International Expositions Symposium Looks to the Past to See the Future
On March 24 and 25, 2022, the Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE) will host its first annual symposium: International Expositions: Looking to the Past, Seeing the Future. Registration for the online event co-sponsored by CAPLA is now open.
CAPLA Planning Professor Discusses the Rapid Growth in Small, Rural Communities Due to the Pandemic on NPR’s Morning Edition
Philip Stoker, assistant professor of landscape architecture and planning, was interviewed in the January 21, 2022 episode of NPR’s Morning Edition: “The ramifications of exploding interests in small-town living during the pandemic.” His NITC-funded research includes CAPLA graduate students.