Community Connection: Lesley Peréz ‘26 MSUP & ‘27 MS.Arch
Lesley Peréz (’26 MSUP, ’27 MS.Arch) is a dual-degree graduate student at CAPLA committed to advancing equity through design and policy. Inspired by her upbringing in East Los Ángeles, her work focuses on creating accessible, community-centered spaces where people can thrive. At CAPLA, she has served as a student ambassador, contributed to housing policy research with ARCHES, and engaged in community outreach through the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning and Design—shaping a future career in planning, transportation, and design at local and global scales.
CAPLA Planning Faculty, Recent Alumna Study TUSD’s Climate Impact
A report led by Associate Professor Philip Stoker and alumna Alyssa Fink delivers the most comprehensive climate assessment of Tucson Unified School District’s 2024 operations to date. The study establishes a greenhouse gas baseline and outlines strategies to reduce emissions, energy use and costs, supporting the district’s sustainability goals. Sponsored by Jobs With Justice, the project also highlights the impact of student-led, community-based research.
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.
Third-Year B.Arch Students Create Award-Winning, Accessible Designs for Bisbee, Arizona
This fall, third-year Bachelor of Architecture students in studios led by Teresa Rosano, Dulce Arambula, Eduardo Guerrero, Siri Trumble and Beth Weinstein participated in a universal design awards program generated from a partnership between AGM/Ascension Wheelchair Lifts and CAPLA. Meet the winners.
Lecture Recap and Video: Linda C. Samuels on 'Infrastructural Opportunism, Infrastructural Urbanism, Infrastructural Optimism'
Linda C. Samuels, assistant professor of urban design at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, joins us for the CAPLA Lecture Series on the topic of "Infrastructural Opportunism, Infrastructural Urbanism, Infrastructural Optimism." View the video from Samuels' January 31, 2022 presentation.
Mount Lemmon Outdoor Library: Nickolas Witt '23 B.Arch
Nickolas Witt's Mount Lemmon Outdoor Library, Merit Award winner of the inaugural AGM/Ascension Universal Design Prize in 2021, is comprised of two simple floors united around an existing site tree which filters natural light in all innovative spaces.
Tucson Mayor Cites Research by CAPLA Urban Planning Professor in Editorial on Tucson’s Transportation Future
An editorial by Tucson Mayor Regina Romero published in Arizona Daily Star on January 16, 2022, addresses fair representation in the Regional Transportation Authority, referencing research by Associate Professor of Urban Planning Arlie Adkins, who notes that "voting structures with one vote per jurisdiction can disenfranchise urban residents and people of color."
The Right Tools for the Job: Georgia Pennington ’19 BS SBE, ’20 MS Urban Planning
Georgia Pennington, who is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, came to UArizona to study sustainability. While in the BS in Sustainable Built Environments program, she found herself most drawn to the urban planning courses, so then enrolled in the MS Urban Planning accelerated master’s program option. Upon graduation, she accepted a planning job with the City of Tucson.
‘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."
A Passion for Construction and Sustainability: Tayler Forsberg '22 B.Arch
Tayler Forsberg, who is from Rice Lake, Wisconsin, will graduate from the Bachelor of Architecture program in May 2022. He then plans to attend graduate school before working towards becoming a registered architect and, eventually, teaching.
Marfa Suite by Professor of Practice Jesús Edmundo Robles Jr Only U.S. Home to Make Architectural Record 2021 House Awards Shortlist
Marfa Suite by CAPLA Assistant Professor of Practice in Architecture Jesús Edmundo Robles Jr and Cade Hayes (DUST Architects) was named one of 15 homes worldwide shortlisted for the esteemed AR 2021 House Award by Architectural Record.