CAPLA Planning Faculty, Recent Alumna Study TUSD’s Climate Impact

A new report led by Associate Professor of Planning Philip Stoker and Master of Science in Architecture alumna Alyssa Fink offers the most comprehensive climate impact assessment to date of Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) operations, examining how everything from energy use to transportation contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.

The project, completed through the Drachman Institute and while Fink was a student, analyzed TUSD’s operations during fiscal year 2024 and produced both a greenhouse gas inventory and a preliminary building energy-use analysis. The report establishes a baseline for understanding the district’s climate footprint while identifying strategies to reduce emissions, energy use and long-term costs.

“This research represents a new partnership between the University of Arizona and TUSD, the largest school district in Tucson,” Stoker said. “We were sponsored by a national non-profit organization, Jobs With Justice, to complete this work and establish the partnership.”

The research directly supports TUSD’s Climate Action and Sustainability Policy by providing data-driven benchmarks and actionable recommendations for decarbonization efforts across district facilities and transportation systems. It also highlights the central role of student scholarship in applied, community-based research.

“This work represents the substantial efforts of our recently graduated student, Alyssa Fink,” Stoker said. “Alyssa is the report’s primary author and reflects the expertise she has developed while in CAPLA.”

Fink shared how her time at CAPLA prepared her for a research endeavour of this scale. 

“The Master of Science in Architecture program directly prepared me to work on this project through the research methods course that I took during my first semester,” she said. “The course helped me connect with Dr. Stoker, who was teaching it that semester, and develop research skills.”

For Fink, the project represented a turning point in understanding the relationship between architecture, research and community impact.

“This project was the first time that I’ve had the opportunity to do architectural research in partnership with my community, and it was empowering to see firsthand how that can create a real impact,” Fink said. 

She said the experience broadened her understanding of how buildings function within larger environmental and social systems.

“I think that working on this greenhouse gas inventory for TUSD has helped me think about the big picture,” Fink said. “Through this research, I learned more about how buildings fit into a much larger system, and I’ll carry that mentality with me in all my future work.”

Fink has a bright future ahead. She is looking forward to beginning her role as a Building Certification Associate at Phius, a non-profit organization. There, she will be part of a team that helps ensure buildings are designed and constructed to play a role in both climate mitigation and adaptation.

Stoker said the team hopes this research becomes a catalyst for long-term partnerships and workforce development opportunities tied to sustainability.

“We hope this project establishes new partnerships and opportunities for TUSD to further train students, reduce costs associated with energy and reduce negative air and climate impacts in Tucson,” he said. “Jobs With Justice is seeking opportunities for local trades to partner with TUSD in the implementation of new solar projects, energy retrofits and high school pre-apprenticeship programs.”

The team is already working to expand the project’s impact by identifying new solar and battery storage opportunities and exploring similar collaborations with other school districts and local governments, positioning the research as a model for climate-focused planning across Southern Arizona.

For more information on this project, click here.