At CAPLA, thought leadership on architecture, design, landscape architecture, heritage conservation, real estate development, urban planning, sustainability and much more drives our research, design and practice—resulting in a rich, transformative educational and community experience centered on the built environment.
Read our latest thought leadership, and learn how the CAPLA community is building a changing world:
Planning Professor Arlie Adkins on Equitable Regionalism for Tucson’s Regional Transportation Authority
In an op-ed in the June 11, 2021 edition of the Arizona Daily Star, Arlie Adkins calls out the ongoing discussion about regional coordination in the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), an independent taxing district within Pima County that manages multimodal transportation projects.
The Berkeley Prize and the Social Art of Architecture
Associate Professor of Architecture Clare Robinson has been a Berkeley Prize Committee member since 2013 and judged the esteemed competition this year. In this editorial, she speaks to the Prize’s importance in addressing social issues in architecture, as well as her own teaching and research.
Sustainable Design Expert: The Building You're Sitting in is the Elephant in the Room
Assistant Professor of Architecture, Sustainable Built Environments and Marketing Jonathan Bean says buildings are the No. 1 pathway to achieving the Biden administration's new carbon emissions goals. He's training the next generation of architects, and with the College of Engineering creating the Climate-Positive Building Lab, to make climate-positive buildings the new normal.
Embracing Risks and Contracts in Design and Construction
Barbara Bryson writes that two of the most challenging barriers to creating a 'culture of predictable outcomes' for the design and construction industries are misunderstanding risk and wrestling with poor contracts. Here she outlines how to move past these obstacles.
Architectural History Professor Lisa D. Schrenk Publishes Critically Acclaimed Book on the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright
The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright by Lisa D. Schrenk offers the first comprehensive look at the early independent office and career of one of the world’s most influential architects.
From Hedgerows on the Prairie to Footsteps on the Moon: A World Heritage Site Evaluator’s Journey
CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand discusses the importance of heritage conservation and the fascinating work she does as a "mission expert" and former co-chair of the World Heritage Evaluation Panel for the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).
Planning Professor Ladd Keith on Heat as an Emerging Climate Risk for Urban, Low-Income Communities
CAPLA’s Ladd Keith was quoted extensively in a Climate XChange story on how, in Las Vegas, Nevada, hotter days will impact low-income, Black and Brown residents the most.
Architecture Professor of Practice Teresa Rosano Talks Building Accessibility and Inclusivity in New Interview
Teresa Rosano was interviewed on October 28, 2020 by the team at Ascension Wheelchair Lifts. Rosano, who is guiding a universal design studio for third-year B.Arch students that is funded in part by Ascension and its parent company AGM, discusses the future of accessibility in architectural design and more.
New Kid in Town: Missing Middle Housing
There’s a new urban development concept in town—it’s called missing middle housing. And Arthur C. Nelson, CAPLA professor of urban planning and real estate development, had a big part in making it happen, showcased in the new book Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today's Housing Crisis.
Transportation, Health Equity and Social Justice in Regional Transportation Planning
What can fine-scale spatial modeling of health impacts from long-range transportation plans do to support racial and social justice? More than you may realize, according to CAPLA’s Nicole Iroz-Elardo, assistant research professor of planning.
Blueprint for Entrepreneurship: Innovative Architect Diane Reicher Jacobs ’88 B.Arch on Starting Your Own Firm
Diane Reicher Jacobs ’88 B.Arch left behind a successful trajectory in corporate architecture to start architecture firm Holly Street Studio in 1999. Here, she shares three valuable entrepreneurial lessons she's learned for designers and others striking out on their own.
Q&A with Real Estate Development Professor Gary Pivo: Should You Buy or Sell a House During the Pandemic?
Professor of Real Estate Development and Urban Planning Gary Pivo discusses COVID-19's impact on the housing market and what it could mean for prospective home buyers or sellers.