School of Landscape Architecture & Planning Rankings & Awards

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.

The Ephemeral Essence of Plant + Place, a habitat garden designed for a community park by Krista Planinac '23 MLA, has been selected for the AzASLA Student Award of Excellence, which recognizes outstanding academic achievement.

Bo Yang, an award-winning professor of landscape architecture and urban planning and associate dean for research in CAPLA, has been named an ASLA Fellow for his "exceptional contributions to the landscape architecture profession and society at large."

Laura Hollengreen, associate dean for academic affairs at CAPLA, has been awarded the Ted and Shirley Taubeneck Superior Teaching Award for her Humanities Seminar Program course, Localizing the Sacred: Medieval Christian Architecture and Art. The annual award is based solely on student evaluations.

The UArizona Theme Park Entertainment Group, comprised of CAPLA and College of Engineering students, received the highest commendation overall—with distinctions for technical skill, feasibility, innovation and communication—at the esteemed Toronto Met Thrill Design Invitational held last fall at Universal Orlando Resort.

CAPLA Heritage Conservation Program Project Director Helen Erickson and graduate students Sarah McDowell and Teresa DeKoker have been instrumental in efforts to preserve Camp Naco, a borderlands Buffalo Soldier camp located near Bisbee, Arizona, resulting in awards for their story map and new funding to preserve the site.