Reimagining the Colorado River in the context of Water Management in Arizona | Lecture by Kathy Jacobs
The Colorado River is the backbone of water management in the southwest, serving seven states and Mexico. Ongoing drought conditions that are linked to climate change threaten Colorado River water deliveries to Arizona, but also provide an opportunity to rethink the allocation of water rights and to focus on a more sustainable approach to management.
Teresa Rosano Receives Dual Honors at the 2025 AIA Arizona Design Awards
In November, Associate Professor Teresa Rosano received two top honors at the 2025 AIA Arizona Design Awards: the Architects Medal and a Community Design Award for a student-led capstone project. The recognized project—the Tucson Hope Factory Micro Shelter Village—aims to support unhoused communities in Southern Arizona through a collaborative, student-designed micro-shelter prototype.
CAPLA West Building Renovation Under Way: Here’s How You Can Follow Our Progress and Support Our Innovation
Thanks to support from CAPLA alumni and friends and the University of Arizona, we are transforming the CAPLA West Building into one of the nation’s premier post-COVID spaces for design students. Renovation began in May and is expected to be complete in August 2023.
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.
Root Down: Maggie Collopy '23 B.Arch
Maggie Collopy's Root Down is a mixed-used building that accommodates institutional, educational, commercial and public uses. Located in the multicultural heart of Tucson, the project serves as a beacon for public integration and educational exposition, and an example of how buildings can be sustainable.
Housing Project for Domestic Violence Survivors: Kathy Le '24 M.Arch
Kathy Le's Housing Project for Domestic Violence Survivors is a community designed for women and children victims of domestic violence. Le's main goals were to address and resolve issues with security, comfort and community, seeking not just to provide shelter but also to provide nurturing.
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.
Damon Leverett and Jeff Guba Win 2022 Darryl D. Dobras Awards for Excellence
Senior Lecturer in Architecture Damon Leverett and Senior Data and Financial Analyst Jeff Guba have been awarded CAPLA’s highest annual honor for employees: the Darryl D. Dobras Award for Excellence, awarded by Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand.
CAPLA Launches Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Design Arts and Practices with Emphasis Areas in Object and Space
CAPLA's School of Architecture has partnered with the School of Art and School of Information to offer a new, transdisciplinary undergraduate degree: the Bachelor of Arts in Design Arts and Practices. CAPLA coordinates two of the degree's four emphasis areas: Object Design and Spatial Design.
Award-Winning Student Map Aims to Help Southern California City Plant a Sustainable Future
Recent Master of Landscape Architecture student Irene Pineda has won first place in the graduate/professional student category of the UArizona 2022 Data Visualization Challenge for her map Plant Trees in Pomona for a Sustainable Future. Her map identifies where trees should be planted to provide more shading in the rapidly industrializing Southern California city.
UArizona Architecture Students Win 2022 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Grand Prize
Professor Jonathan Bean and the Solar Decathlon Design Challenge Multifamily Building team of fourth-year B.Arch students Andrew Norris, Jonah Cummins-Mikkalson, Alex Kolodziej and Nhan Vo not only took first place in their division, but also was selected as the 2022 Design Challenge Grand Winner for Commercial Divisions—a first for CAPLA and UArizona.