A team led by CAPLA’s Sandra Bernal Cordova, Altaf Engineer, and Ladd Keith has received a $250,000 grant over two years from the Office of Research and Partnerships through the inaugural Big Idea Challenge. Their project, the Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium (HHRIC), aims to develop community-centered solutions to the growing threat of extreme heat. The team—comprising experts from across the University of Arizona—will focus on wearable biosensors, mobile cooling and care structures, health system algorithms, and AI-powered education tools. Their innovations, including the solar-powered CHILL-IT Health Oasis and telemedicine-equipped Kiosk Care, aim to improve public health and infrastructure resilience in Arizona and beyond.

The Drachman Institute recognized 28 community leaders nominated by CAPLA faculty for their outstanding collaboration and leadership across diverse organizations. These awardees represent a wide range of sectors, including local government, nonprofits, and tribal communities, highlighting the strong partnerships fostered through the Drachman Institute.

Held at the University of Arizona’s ENR2 building, the 2nd Annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit brought together experts and community leaders to discuss strategies for extreme heat preparedness, featuring presentations from City of Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and other officials.

Mackenzie Waller, assistant professor of landscape architecture, leads effort to have portions of the Santa Cruz River added to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System.

The Arizona Board of Regents held a November showcase at the Arizona Experiment Station's Campus Agricultural Center in Tucson, featuring award-winning research from the University of Arizona and Arizona State University around new smart tree watering techniques.

Kirk Dimond, associate professor of Landscape Architecture, was recently named program chair for the landscape architecture program at CAPLA. Hear about his background in the field and vision for the future.

Last spring, CAPLA Sustainable Built Environments Lecturer Nataliya Apanovich partnered with Iskashitaa Refugee Network to create a study concerning issues among University of Arizona students and United Nation (UN) Refugees.

Master of Landscape Architecture students Annalise Hummel, Christian Aguilar Murrieta and Cordell Lee were honored for highlighting the need for smart watering solutions to support tree planting as a cost-effective way to mitigate urban heat.

Collaborative efforts from City of Tucson leadership and staff, community stakeholders, and University of Arizona faculty to address escalating heat challenges have resulted in the adoption of a newly crafted Heat Action Roadmap and Heat Protection Ordinance for city workers and contractors.

A new federal initiative will rely on University of Arizona research and scholarship to help communities across the U.S. create policies and take action to mitigate and manage extreme heat. Ladd Keith, an associate professor in CAPLA, will lead UArizona's involvement in the center.

The second annual Remembering Spaces of Internment (ReSI) International Symposium convened an interdisciplinary network to study internment sites globally. Co-founder Beth Weinstein discussed ReSI's goals, emphasizing the need to analyze and remember the systemic nature of internment

University of Arizona professor of medicine Dr. Esther Sternberg, director of the Institute on Place, Well-being and Performance and research director at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, shares her research examining how work environments effect people's health and productivity.