The essential research of the CAPLA faculty goes well beyond the fields of design, development, planning and sustainability to the core of how we can live better lives in the built environment.
Faculty research solves problems, impacts decisions and shapes policy. Read our CAPLA faculty research stories:
Passionate About Learning: Clare Robinson, Associate Professor of Architecture
Associate Professor of Architecture Clare Robinson, who joined CAPLA in 2012, explores how the everyday built environment facilitated the definition of social and aesthetic norms, and how professional designers used modern architecture and planning paradigms to define middle-class activities and spaces during the mid-20th century.
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.
Poetics of Space: Jesús Edmundo Robles Jr, Assistant Professor of Practice in Architecture
Assistant Professor of Practice in Architecture Jesús Edmundo Robles Jr, who teaches Techne 2 and second-year studios and is a principal at DUST Architects, has a focus that "oscillates between sustainable material development and poetics of space."
Beyond the Studio: Courtney Crosson, Associate Professor of Architecture and Director, Drachman Institute
Assistant Professor of Architecture Courtney Crosson joined CAPLA in 2016. She enjoys connecting students’ academic knowledge with real projects in the community, with a particular focus on water in the built environment and community outreach.
Planning Associate Professor Arlie Adkins Discusses Pedestrian Fatalities in Arizona NPR Feature
Arlie Adkins, CAPLA associate professor of urban planning, provides insight on the pre-pandemic increase in pedestrian deaths in an August 28, 2020 Arizona Public Media (NPR) story in The Buzz titled "Revising the Danger to pedestrians in Tucson."
As Rural Western Towns Grow, So Do Their Planning Challenges
A new study by Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning Philip Stoker examines the planning challenges that residents and officials in the rural mountain American West have been watching unfold for years at "gateway communities."
Multidisciplinary Research Guides Teaching: Philip Stoker, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning
Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning Philip Stoker joined CAPLA in 2016. He researches how cities and neighborhoods can be designed and planned so that they have fewer negative environmental impacts.
Study Predicts Millions of Unsellable Homes Could Upend Market
CAPLA Professor Arthur C. Nelson's recently published research undermines the classic "big promise" in homeownership: that a home, after it's paid off, can be sold for a retirement nest egg.
CAPLA Professor Ladd Keith Discusses Urban Heat Islands in Las Vegas Review-Journal Article
Planning and Sustainable Built Environments Assistant Professor Ladd Keith was quoted in a recent Las Vegas Review-Journal article on urban heat islands and how heat and coronavirus bring a double threat to vulnerable populations.
Challenging the Norm: Susannah Dickinson, Associate Professor of Architecture
Associate Professor of Architecture Susannah Dickinson, who joined CAPLA in 2009 after practicing architecture full-time, sees teaching and research as an opportunity for personal growth and lifelong learning and also a chance to give back to the next generation of architects.
Improving Design Outcomes: Altaf Engineer, Assistant Professor of Architecture
Assistant Professor of Architecture Altaf Engineer, who joined CAPLA in 2017, has always felt a deep responsibility to apply his knowledge and skills to address critical health, social and environmental issues affecting humans worldwide.
Urban Green Infrastructure Project Led by Landscape Architecture Professor Bo Yang Wins ASLA Honor Award for Research
Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Professor Bo Yang has been awarded the prestigious Honor Award, Research from the American Society of Landscape Architects for the research project, "Particulate matter mitigation through urban green infrastructure: Research on optimization of block-scale green space."