CAPLA Lecturer Sandra Bernal selected for National ACSA Academy on Built Environment and Health
CAPLA lecturer Sandra Bernal has been selected for the 2026 Academy for Public Scholarship on the Built Environment: Spatial Determinants of Health. She will join a national cohort of scholars working to translate research on design and public health into accessible scholarship, building on her work in heat resilience, air quality and healthy community design.
CAPLA Professor Michael Kothke Wins AIA Award for Casa Luce
CAPLA Professor Michael Kothke and Kathy Hancox won a national AIA Interior Architecture Award for Casa Luce, a Tucson renovation honoring adaptive reuse, sustainability, and the Sonoran Desert.
Report by Planning Professor Gary Pivo Informs Regional and National Articles on Tucson Gentrification
A 2021 study by Gary Pivo, "Equity and Sustainability Assessment of Tucson's Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) Program," was cited by Phoenix Business Journal and Planetizen on articles about gentrification and affordable housing in Tucson, particularly in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods.
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.