Rachel Hink’s BWS Internship Brings Design to CanStruction
Fifth-year B.Arch student Rachel Hink gained hands-on experience in architecture and community engagement through her summer internship with BWS Architects. From contributing to site plans and project meetings to participating in CanStruction, a community outreach event benefiting the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, the experience gave Hink valuable insight into how architecture can serve and strengthen communities.
CAPLA Landscape Architecture programs earn LAAB-Accreditation milestone
CAPLA’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program has earned initial accreditation, while its Master of Landscape Architecture program received reaccreditation from the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board. The milestone recognizes the strength of CAPLA’s place-based, interdisciplinary education, outstanding faculty, innovative curriculum and commitment to preparing future landscape architects to address complex environmental and community challenges.
CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand Receives University of Guelph Alumni of Honour Award
CAPLA Dean Nancy Pollock-Ellwand has been named a recipient of the University of Guelph Alumni of Honour Award, recognizing her global leadership in cultural heritage conservation and lifelong dedication to education.
Drachman Institute Launches Community Engaged Scholars Program
CAPLA’s Drachman Institute launched the Drachman Community Engaged Scholars Program this fall, connecting students with faculty mentors to work on projects that directly serve local communities. Funded through Drachman sources, the program supports students with faculty-guided research and monthly workshops on community engagement.
CAPLA Students take on Park(ing) Day 2025
CAPLA students brought creativity and design thinking to global Park(ing) Day on Sept. 19 at Main Gate Square, transforming a parking space into a vibrant public installation themed “Curb the Power: Micro Acts of Civil Joy.” Led by Master of Landscape Architecture student Esmeralda Carrasco, the project featured colorful ground painting, desert-adapted plants, and flexible seating to reimagine urban streets as safer, greener, and more welcoming spaces. Partnering with the City of Tucson and community organizations, students demonstrated how small-scale interventions can spark conversations about design, equity, and the future of Tucson’s streets.
CAPLA Students Explore Smart Cities and Global Planning Innovation in Japan
Led by faculty member Brian Bidolli, the CAPLA Study Abroad program “Cities of the Future: Japan” combined classroom learning with site visits in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Students explored smart cities and sustainable urban development through lectures, professional meetings, cultural excursions, and visits to cutting-edge institutions. The program offered an immersive experience that connected theory with practice while deepening students’ global perspective on planning and design.
Building Meaningful Relationships: Matt Emory, Senior Undergraduate Academic Advisor
Inspired by the creativity and drive of CAPLA students, Matt Emory, senior undergraduate academic advisor, is passionate about building meaningful relationships and supporting students in reaching their goals.
Michael Kothke Featured at ARCHITECT Magazine Forum
Michael Kothke, principal at HK ASSOCIATES and professor at CAPLA, was invited to speak at Reimagining Desert Modernism: The Architecture Shaping Arizona Today, a forum hosted by ARCHITECT Magazine and Marvin Windows at Taliesin West.
CAPLA announces 2025 Grassroots Seed Grant Awardees
The College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture has awarded the 2025 Grassroots Seed Grants to three faculty-led projects that advance innovative teaching, research, and creative activity.
Master of Landscape Architecture students lead sustainability research
CAPLA Master of Landscape Architecture students Ashley Danforth and Xavier Fernandez are leading a $45,000 grant-funded project to advance sustainable stormwater solutions on campus. Through research, collaboration, and community outreach, their work will create a campus-wide database of green stormwater infrastructure to help address challenges like drought and extreme heat.
Ladd Keith appointed to Governor Hobbs' Workplace Heat Safety Task Force
Ladd Keith, director of the University of Arizona’s Heat Resilience Initiative and a leading national expert on heat planning, has been appointed to Governor Katie Hobbs’ new Workplace Heat Safety Task Force. In this role, he will help develop science-based, equitable guidelines to protect Arizona’s workers from the growing risks of extreme heat.