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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Creating Spatial Justice: Mackenzie Waller, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture
Mackenzie Waller joined the college this semester as assistant professor of landscape architecture. Learn more about Mackenzie, including current research in environmental/spatial justice and this semester's landscape architecture design studio created around preserving native bees in urban Tucson.
Public Health Researchers Join Statewide Initiative to Prepare for Climate Impacts
Researchers at UArizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and CAPLA are partnering with organizations across the state to implement interventions aimed at protecting Arizonans from heat hazards thanks to $2 million in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
‘Punctual Urbanisms’ Framework Proposed by UArizona Researchers Clarifies Small-Scale Urban Planning Interventions
In a paper published in 2021 in the Journal of Planning Literature, UArizona PhD student Monica Landgrave-Serrano and CAPLA Urban Planning Professors Philip Stoker and Jonathan Jae-an Crisman compiled and analyzed the many terms used to describe small-scale planning interventions, what they call "punctual urbanisms."
Urban Planning Professor Arthur C. Nelson on Why Cities Need to Make Their Housing Stock ‘Nimbler’
Arthur C. Nelson, professor of urban planning and real estate development, was quoted extensively for his insight on demographic trends in housing in “The Housing Crunch is Real,” an article in the Fall 2021 issue of the National Association of Realtors' On Common Ground.
Prize-winning E-ROBOT Technology Created by UArizona Architecture and Engineering Professors Showcased on Local CBS Affiliate
UArizona Assistant Professor of Architecture and Sustainable Built Environments Jonathan Bean and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Wolfgang Fink were featured in a recent news segment by Tucson, Arizona CBS affiliate KOLD News 13.
Lecture Recap and Video: Kirk Dimond on 'A Photovoltaic Green Roof'
Kirk Dimond, assistant professor of landscape architecture at the University of Arizona, joins us for the CAPLA Lecture Series on the topic of "A Photovoltaic Green Roof." View the video from Dimond's October 22, 2021 presentation.
Researchers from UArizona, ASU, UCLA and Aspen Global Change Institute Call for Attention to ‘Heat Governance’ to Protect Those Most at Risk from Extreme Heat
By implementing six guiding principles, researchers and decision-makers will not only address heat inequities but also create coordinated metrics and plans to adequately address extreme heat risks.
Exploring Human-Landscape Connections: Adriana Zuniga ’10 MS Arch, Assistant Research Scientist
Assistant Research Scientist Adriana Zuniga came to CAPLA from Mexico in 2008 to pursue her MS Architecture degree. Since then, she has also earned a PhD in Arid Lands Resources Sciences and has taught and conducted research on human-landscape connections at CAPLA since 2015.
CAPLA Professor Ladd Keith on the Imperative of Planning for Heat Resilience
Assistant Professor of Planning and Sustainable Built Environments Ladd Keith recently published two editorials in important national and international publications. With UArizona Professor of Geography Andrea K. Gerlak he authored “There’s no place in the US safe from the heat” in The Hill, and with ASU Assistant Professor of Geography Sara Meerow he authored “Cities must plan for heat resilience now,” published by Reuters.
Meet Ash Avila ’23 BS SBE, 2022 Transportation Research Board Minority Student Fellow
Ash Avila, a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments student from Nogales, Arizona, who will graduate in 2023, has been awarded an acclaimed Transportation Research Board (TRB) Minority Student Fellowship for 2022. Avila is one of 24 students selected by TRB.
UArizona Team Led by Architecture Professor Jonathan Bean and Engineering Professor Wolfgang Fink Wins $200,000 ‘American-Made Challenge’ E-ROBOT Prize
wall-EIFS, a robotically applied, 3D-sprayable exterior insulation and finish system for building envelope retrofits, is one of 10 finalist prize winners of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Envelope Retrofit Opportunities for Building Optimization Technologies Prize, or E-ROBOT Prize.
CAPLA Experts: In Wake of COVID-19, Employers Must Make Offices Healing Spaces
Altaf Engineer and Esther Sternberg, two CAPLA professors who study how work and living spaces affect physical and mental health, say the pandemic has forced employers to think about how office spaces can reduce employees' stress and enhance their wellbeing.