CAPLA lecturer Nataliya Apanovich honored with Gerald J. Swanson Prize for Teaching Excellence
Nataliya Apanovich, a CAPLA lecturer, won the Gerald J. Swanson Prize for Teaching Excellence. She’s known for innovative, student-centered, community-focused sustainability education.
Research shaping Tucson's housing future
As Tucson works to address its housing shortage, research from the University of Arizona's Drachman Institute is helping guide key policy decisions. Assistant Research Professor Bill Mackey's work on zoning, land use and housing regulations is providing city leaders with research-based options to increase housing opportunities across the city.
Ladd Keith named 2025 Western Planner of the Year
The Western Planner organization has named CAPLA Associate Professor Ladd Keith its 2025 Planner of the Year, honoring his pioneering leadership in climate-responsive planning and community resilience across the American West.
CAPLA Professor’s SunLink Research to be Published in Harvard Law & Policy Review
A new study co-led by CAPLA’s Arthur C. Nelson and the City of Tucson’s Daniel Lawlor finds that the Sun Link streetcar has reshaped Tucson’s growth, economy, and equity since its 2014 launch, driving major real estate investment, population growth, and city revenue gains. The research, to be published in the Harvard Law & Policy Review, highlights the streetcar as a national model for successful urban transit planning.
Behind the Design: Andrew Weil Center recognized for outstanding architecture
The University of Arizona’s Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine has been recognized internationally for its innovative design, earning an honorable mention in the 2025 International Architecture Awards. The distinction highlights the university’s commitment to creating spaces that advance health, wellness, and architectural excellence.
Urban Planning Students Win Statewide Award for City of South Tucson Project
A team of Master of Science in Urban Planning (MSUP) students at CAPLA received the Arizona APA’s Best Student Planning Project Award for their capstone, “Community Investment Strategy Toolkit for the City of South Tucson.”
AI, the BS Savant and Autocognition | Lecture by P. Bryan Heidorn
Professor P. Bryan Heidorn is the Associate Dean for Research for the College of Information Science. This talk is a bird’s-eye view of the AI and machine learning landscape and its implications for academia.
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.