Joowon Im

Featured Faculty

Dr. Joowon Im, Assistant Professor and the UTA Landscape Architecture Studio IV class, won a national honor award for their design project from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The student awards represent the highest recognition of future landscape architects, and from 459 student entries, Landscape Architecture Studio IV was one of the 19 awarded. 

Accolades

OCTOBER

Hannah Lebovits, UTA Assistant professor of Public Affairs and Planning, appeared on the podcast Identity/Crisis to discuss housing insecurity and possible solutions.  

APRIL

President Jennifer Cowley has been recognized for her “significant impacts on higher education,” Mirage News, U.S. Fed News, and Targeted News Service report. She has been honored with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning’s Martin Meyerson Award for Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education. faculty spotlight


Emily Nwakpuda, Associate professor in the Department of Public Affairs and Planning, spoke with KERA about the launch of a new study, “State of the Sector: Catalyzing a Thriving Nonprofit Community,” that will look into which nonprofits operate in Arlington, what communities they serve and what their needs are.


Oswald Jenewein, Assistant professor of Architecture, participated in HKS' Global Design Fellowship as they explored exhilarating new designs to reinvigorate the relationship between humanity and nature.


Jiwon Suh, Assistant professor of Public Affairs and Planning, was awarded the 2023 IRSPM Rosemary O’Leary Award for co-authoring the paper, “Beyond a Numbers Game? Impact of Diversity and Inclusion on the Perception of Organizational Justice” (2022).


Diane Allen Jones, Associate professor and director of the Landscape Architecture program, spoke with Landscape Architecture Magazine on the design of the Rice Butterfly Memorial Garden, a place for reflection and peace. The memorial is in honor of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old who was killed by Cleveland police in 2014.


Diane Allen Jones, Associate professor and director of the Landscape Architecture program, spoke with the Victoria Advocate and was recognized in a NewsEdge report on the impact active transportation plans have on communities. They can increase savings, provide social equity and promote health and safety. Improvements to active transit also attract private developments and lead to an increase in jobs to the community.


Dr. Maria Martinez-Cosio was named to the inaugural class of the Excelencia in Education Policy Fellows for Equity Innovation. The program funded by the California Legislature and Apple Computers seeks to integrate data, practice, and leadership to inform and compel action on student success. Fellows will develop a broader policy agenda based on Excelencia's policy priorities for their institutions, regionally, and nationally.


Diane Allen Jones, Associate professor and director of the Landscape Architecture program, helped design a memorial for Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old victim of police violence in Cleveland, Ohio. The project, named the Rice Butterfly Memorial, was shared in the Landscape Architecture Magazine detailing the process and impact of the experience.


MARCH

The city of Arlington is launching a campaign—including signage—to curb panhandling at major intersections, KERA reportsHannah Lebovits, UTA assistant professor of public affairs and planning, says similar campaigns have been established in other U.S. cities without out much success.


Diane Jones Allen, director and professor of UT Arlington’s Landscape Architecture program, was interviewed on the Greater Greater Washington podcast Talking Headways about the American Society of Landscape Architect’s recently published Climate Action Plan. Allen led the panel crafting the plan.

Landscape Architecture Foundation features Letora Anderson, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, in the perspectives interview series. Letora Anderson shares insights on what drives her professionally, the challenges landscape architects can address, and where she sees the discipline going.


Brad McCorkle received yet another quality Quality in Construction Award. AIA Fort Worth honors its members for exceptional achievements and service in the architecture community.


Tom Rusher and his ARCH 4556 studio class received awards for their creative design project at the International Design Competition: Architecture of the Apocalypse.


FEBRUARY

Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs and planning, was cited in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story about why homelessness skyrocketed in 2022, bringing attention to how economic inequality is growing in major metro regions, including Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She explained that the Metroplex isn’t different from other metro regions in regard to inequality, poverty and gentrification, despite the common perceptions.


JANURARY

Meghna Tare, UTA’s chief sustainability officer, and UTA’s Institute of Urban Studies are partnering with the city of Arlington to launch the Healthy Connections: A Healthy Arlington initiative, the city of Arlington reported. The project will be funded by a $50,000 award granted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America.


Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs and planning, wrote an op-ed for the Dallas Observer about a new city ordinance to fine panhandlers. Lebovits argues that panhandling is free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution and that the ordinance unjustly criminalizes a vulnerable population.

NOVEMBER

Steve Quevedo has been named a finalist in Architizer’s One Drawing Challenge for his drawing “Palimsest_Ghosts + Reincarnations.” The contest calls for architectural drawings that tell a compelling story about architecture and its inhabitants. Quevedo said his artwork “evokes the nature of how cities transform throughout time by demolition, reuse or new construction.”


Oswald Jenewein received recognition from the Victoria Advocate for contributing research into a tropical storm tracking system for the Corpus Christi Bay area. The project’s goal is to improve data quality in the area and increase awareness of potentially harmful conditions. 


OCTOBER 

Oswald Jenewein successfully defended his dissertation titled: "Post-Oil Environments: Developing a Typological Approach to Climate Adaptation of Architecture and the City at the University of Innsbruck." He earned a Doctorate of Technical Science from the Institute of Design, University of Innsbruck.


David Hopman and his Landscape Architecture planting designed a Land Acknowledgement Courtyard and were recognized in a moving ceremony by Native American alumni and community this past Monday. 


Diane Jones Allen published an article in Places Journal, "Living Freedom Through the Maroon Landscape." A vital chapter in the protohistory of American landscape design, the swampland communities established by self-liberated slaves in Louisiana offer a powerful model for coping with climate disruption.


Amanda Aman to receive the 2022 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) Best Project Award for mapping project titled “An Atlas of Ephemeral Geographies: Identity in the Alaskan Artic.” This award is a significant representation of months of hard work, extensive research, and creative excellence.


SEPTEMBER

Dr. Joowon Im was awarded a national Honor award for a project engaging her Spring 2022 Studio IV project in Dallas by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The student awards represent the highest recognition of future landscape architects, and from 459 student entries, Landscape Architecture Studio IV was one of the 19 awarded.


Dr. Atefe Makhmalbaf published her book on Building Information Modeling using Revit for Architects and Engineers as an Open Educational Resource (OER) volume through UTA Libraries. This two-year effort will serve as a resource for professionals across various disciplines and students learning Revit.


Congratulations to David Coursey for receiving the UTA Student Success Champion Award. The Division of Student Success award recognizes the tremendous work and dedication in creating a culture of belonging for students at UTA. Dr. Coursey actively shares his expertise in modeling student enrollment and retention for CAPPA but also for other programs across campus; his use of Civitas to target students that may need assistance is exemplary, and he continues to develop events and activities with alumni and current students to build a strong culture of success.


The National Academy of Public Administration has selected Dr. Jennifer Cowley (UTA President and Public Affairs and Planning Professor) for inclusion in its 2022 Class of Academy FellowsThis is in recognition of her expertise and years of public administration service.


The interdisciplinary UTA faculty team led by Michelle Hummel receives a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Project “Enabling Smart Cities in Coastal Regions of Environmental and Industrial Change: Building Adaptive Capacity through Sociotechnical Networks on the Texas Gulf Coast” addresses some challenges in Texas coastal regions. Congratulations to Michelle HummelKarabi BezboruahOswald JeneweinYonghe Liu, and Kathryn Masten.


Journal of Public Works Management and Policy has accepted Dr. Karabi Bezboruah's paper, "Active Transportation Policies: Do Media Narratives Matter?" 


AUGUST

Don Gatzke, adjunct assistant professor and former UTA architecture dean, talked about solar energy for homes with the Fort Worth Report. Gatzke’s decision to install a solar panel array came down to environmental impact. “I calculated that over the last year, our average monthly electric cost is $109 a month,” he said. “Solar is just going to continue to expand."


 The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle profiled Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor at the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. Lebovits discusses how she navigates the tensions of Orthodox Jewish life. “I think you can speak up,” Lebovits said. “You can speak up very firmly.”


JULY

Dr. Qisheng Pan, Professor in Planning and Director of CTEDD Centerreceived an award of $157,558 from Entech Civil Engineers./Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). The grant is to develop a Transportation Equity Framework and an Activity Based Travel Demand Model (ABM), and assist HCTRA with transportation project evaluation, resilience analysis, mobility, and accessibility analysis. Dr. Taylor Li at the Department of Civil Engineering is the Co-PI on this project. Entech Civil Engineers is a "well-established multidiscipline consulting firm and one of the strongest consulting practices in Texas." Both organizations provide tolling services to METRO, and the award aims to respond to issues around transportation and develop some solutions. The project's Co-PI is Dr. Taylor Li of the Department of Civil Engineering.


CAPPA research team partners with Dallas CityLab High School on workshop focused on transportation, planning, design, and environmental justice. Scienmag (Science Magazine) features this initiative, and how transportation can majorly impact vulnerable ecologies, especially in rapidly evolving areas such as Dallas/Fort Worth. The pilot lab workshop started with the GIS tutorials and a field trip to Trinity River.  


This project is led by Alan Klein, Director of the Institute of Urban Studies, Joowon Im, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, and Amruta Sakalker, Ph.D. student in Public Affairs and Planning. Engaging with the high schoolers will create opportunities to apply the research in areas that could directly impact mobility and shape the future of transportation in the area. 


JUNE

16 CAPPA Faculty received the 2022 Inaugural Geisel Grant. The awards is funding faculty research and professional development activities to advance the college and university's academic excellence. This would enable the college to extend its relationships with Texas municipal leaders and connect with under-resourced communities through informed research projects.


Jowon Suh, associate professor of Public Affairs and Planning, was awarded the Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs (JPNA) Best Article Award for co-authoring the article, “Nonprofit External Communications: General Management, Public Relations, or Fundraising Tool?” (2021).


APRIL

Dr. Jiwon Suh and Dr. Kathy Lee's (Co. PI) proposal was selected for the Research and Creative Works Seed Grant Competition for Projects on Cultural and Societal Transformation. Proposal: Still Forever Foreigners? A Needs Assessment by Examining Marginalized East Asian Americans' Perceived Discrimination and Challenges of Ethnic Nonprofit Organizations. This will be the first time this type of grant is offered under the new theme for UTA's Strategic Plan.


Dr. Jowon Suh, associate professor of Public Affairs and Planning,  a Research Enhancement Program (REP) Grant Award. Proposal: Still a Forgotten Minority? The Barriers and Challenges of Asian-American Executive Director Led Nonprofit Organizations.

CAPPA had one of its largest faculty participation at The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) 2022 Conference Evolving Norms event in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico this past March. Seven landscape architecture and architecture faculty, including Austin AllenDiane AllenDennis ChiessaKate HollidayDavid HopmanJoowon Imand Taner Ozdil, had various contributions to the in-person conference after a previous cancellation and virtual-only event for the past two years. The array of CAPPA faculty contributed six oral presentations, two panel presentations, and one poster presentation to showcase their individual or collaborative work at this year's academic event. Most of these faculty members served as CELA blind reviewers for abstracts and papers in various research, administrative, or networking events to represent UTA. In addition, this year marked the completion of Taner Ozdil's two-year term as Vice President for Research and Scholarship (VPR) of the CELA Board of Directors. Ozdil was recognized for his term and contributions with a Certification of Appreciation and a first-time Executive Committee award "TRIAD Award" from the CELA. Ozdil was reappointed as Past VPR (2022-2023), which is the inaugural year for this newly created position as part of the CELA Board of Directors. 


Dr. Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor, proposed housing solutions to help Arlington residents reshape their neighborhoods and settle community concerns. The City of Arlington hopes to promote the construction of "missing middle housing" throughout the area and redevelop old properties, such as duplexes, cottage courts, and small buildings with courtyards. These housing types have been "missing" or discouraged across the country since the relatively modern idea of single-family neighborhoods was invented. Single-family homes accounted for approximately 70% of Arlington's housing stock in 2020, while the other 30% were considered multifamily apartments. Changes to Arlington's development code could create more "missing middle housing," which have some Arlingtonites concerned with large apartment complexes and traffic jams. However, Lebovits explained how "missing middle housing can improve property values, boost neighborhood walkability, and promote local businesses" to KERA 90.1. Lebovits shares sympathy with people "who are just living their regular lives and who are used to this idea of this dichotomous, 'either you have a massive apartment building or you have a single-family home'" concerning the proposed changes. Lebovits plans to show the value of Arlington's growth with opportunities surrounding Cooper Street, near UTA's main campus. 


MARCH

Karabi Bezboruah, Professor of Public and Planning, was selected for the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. The Academy of Distinguished Teachers is comprised of tenured faculty at UT Arlington who have been selected for the membership for their outstanding teaching, personal commitment, and the ability to inspire students. 


Dr. Kathryn (Kate) Holliday, Professor, featured in a KERA 90.1 FM report to emphasize the importance of an upcoming cleanup event for the historical black community of Joppa. Joppa, also known as Joppie, is one of Dallas's few original freedmen's towns that remains today. Joppie community members announce a cleanup event to initiate a project for a new multi-purpose center. Dr. Holliday supports the project in "keeping the structures integrity" is an important "part of the story of self-determination" of enslaved persons. In addition, Dr. Holliday has gained support from students who share the same passion to preserve that same sense of self-determination.


Dr. Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor, spoke with the Dallas Observer about issues concerning the increase of child poverty in Dallas. A Columbia University study discovered a significant spike in U.S. children living in poverty within a single month following the expiration of the child tax credit. The nationwide spike especially concerns Dallas, where child poverty rates have ranked in the top 3 of all metropolitan regions in the nation for several years. Lebovits states how “Dallas has shown time and again that it does not have the public and nonprofit resources to resolve the child poverty concerns that remain in this city.” Lebovits also emphasizes deep concerns for Dallas’s ability to mitigate this social crisis, which specifically affects white and Latino children more than any other racial groups.


FEBRUARY

Letora Anderson, Assistant Professor for Landscape Architecture, celebrates Black History Month with her paintings of Black History makers at the McKinney Performing Arts Center. Anderson's work celebrates the history and contribution of Black Americans who served as an inspiration in her career as an educator, designer, and artist. Her professional experience emphasized art in her landscape architectural designs such as the MLK Park in Arkadelphia, Arkansas and the Greenville Forward Comprehensive Plan. 


Dr. Ursula Emery McClure, Professor, has been elevated to a Fellow in the prestigious College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Currently, only 3% of the AIA members have this prestigious distinction. AIA Fellows achieve the AIA's highest membership honor in recognition of their extraordinary work and contributions to architecture, including all works that drives positive change through the power of design across the globe. Architects who exemplify architectural excellence can become an AIA College of Fellows member with other significant requirements.


Dr. Kathryn (Kate) Holliday, Professor, will be in residence at Harvard University's Dumbarton Oak in Urban Landscape Studies as a Mellon Fellow. Garden and Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks is leading a major award from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to grow and expand interdisciplinary programs in urban landscape. This will be the second time one of our CAPPA faculty members has received a prestigious fellowship appointment at Dumbarton Oaks.


Dr. Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez, Assistant Professor, shares her recently published co-authored article, Examining behavioral responses to Mexico City's driving restriction: a mixed-methods approach. This article examines the equity implications of Hoy No Circula, a car restriction policy implemented in Mexico City to reduce traffic congestion since 1989. Dr. Reyes-Sanchez hopes to inform more equitable and effective transportation policies in Mexico City and beyond in Latin America.


JANURARY

Dr. Hyesun Jeong, Assistant Professor, recipient of The American Institute of Architects(AIA) Award for a project titled, "The Future of Green Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing the Built Environment for Pedestrian and Bicycle Activities in Dallas-Fort Worth." The awarded project is a collaborative research-design project working with the City of Dallas, UTA Office of Sustainability, Arup (Dallas office), and Hammersley Architecture (Chicago-based firm). The process of the project is two-fold. Jeong, Hyesun also contribute to a book chapter in “Retail Scenes.” in Streetlife: The Future of Urban Retail. Ed. Conrad Kickert and Emily Talen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press"

December 2021

Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, said a recent Dallas City Council effort to end panhandling needs to focus on the low quality of the city’s services, not on whether homeless and panhandlers are “service resistant,” The Dallas Observer reported. Lebovits stated that the city casts its homeless population as “service resistant” rather than reviewing the low quality of its services that discourages people from engaging. Instead, Lebovits said that “the services are people resistant; the people aren’t service resistant” after citing severe overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at local homeless shelters as an example.

Hanna Lebovits panel on homelessness was chosen for the “Civic Engagement” track for the SXSW conference.


This time of year good news typically comes in the form of "the semester is almost over!" We wanted to add some additional items to our list that we could celebrate. Join us in congratulating or being thankful for the support of the following items:

  • Hyesun Jeong is the recipient of the 2021 AIA Upjohn Research Initiative for her proposal “The Future of Green Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing the Built Environment for Pedestrian and Bicycle Activities in Dallas-Fort Worth”. This is a national award provided to a select number of applicants.
  • Dennis Chiessa is the recipient of the Stewardson Keefe LeBrun Travel Grant sponsored by AIANY for his proposal: "The Maya and Garifuna Coast of Mexico and Central America." This is a highly competitive award given to 1-4 people per year.

We are pleased to report that the following endowments and gifts were either created, made, or expanded in the past month:

  • Parekh Kalia Architecture Scholarship Endowment was funded at $25,000. Funds awarded will go towards scholarships to international undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a degree in Architecture who have financial needs.
  • JHP/Robert H. James Excellence Endowment will be seeded with an additional $25,000 to support scholarships starting in the fall of 2022. The firm has also renewed its commitment this year to support the CAPPA JEDI award with a $2000 commitment.
  • School of Architecture Alumni Association/ Topping Out made a donation of $25,000 to support scholarships, research, and the advancement of the Design-Build+Community Engagement initiative.

November 2021

Dr. Hyesun Jeong, assistant professor in architecture, for having her research proposal "The Future of Green Infrastructure: Measuring and Designing the Built Environment for Pedestrian and Bicycle Activities in Dallas" accepted for the American Institute of Architects Upjohn Research fund and having received a $15,000 grant award.


October 2021

Dr. Austin Allen and co-contributor are listed as one of the winners of the 2021 ASLA Professional Award. Dr. Allen wrote a chapter in Black Landscapes Matter by Walter Hood and Grace Mitchell Tada, which was giving the "Award of Excellence." This book “brings together landscape architecture and planning professionals to probe how race, memory, and meaning intersect in the American landscape.” Exploring diverse places across the United States and asserts that these landscapes are critical to shaping individual and communal identities. 


The city of Dallas’ Park Board will honor Kevin Sloan, UTA professor of architecture, by renaming the 12th Street Connector Park as the Kevin W. Sloan Park, D Magazine reported. Throughout his career, Sloan has contributed to numerous city projects, including the idea of “re-wilding” the Trinity River Corridor by encouraging the re-establishment of its original flora and fauna.


September 2021

Hannah Lebovits PhD, Assistant Professor recently published a paper on networking as a graduate student in the social sciences. The paper, co-authored with Sarah Shugars PhD and Seo-Young Silvia Kim PhD, providing students with concrete recommendations on how to create and sustain networking communities. Published in the peer-reviewed political science journal, PS: Political Science and Politics.


Congratulations to Dennis Chiessa, Assistant Professor of Architecture, who received the statewide award for Associate of the Year from the Texas Society of Architects. He was selected out of nominations from all AIA chapters from across Texas, recognizing him as an exceptional member and outstanding achievements in support of the profession of architecture, the built environment, and quality of life in Texas.

*** The Texas Society of Architects Associate Member of the Year award is presented to a single Associate AIA member who best exemplifies the highest leadership qualities and has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to their local component or Texas' membership through service to the profession and/or service or in the community. ***


August 2021

Dr. David Coursey, Chair of PAPL who is a co-PI with Dr. Jessica Eisma [PI] on a 2-year $299,466 highly competitive federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], Adaptation Sciences Program, titled "Identification of cost-effective, climate-informed green infrastructure adaptations to reduce flood risk in Houston’s vulnerable communities.”

This proposal engages with the community organization Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council; representatives from the City of Houston; and representatives from the County to identify and quantify green infrastructure (GI)-based opportunities to reduce flood risk in Houston’s vulnerable neighborhoods. The project seeks to provide stakeholders with a feasible GI-based flood reduction plan with three major elements: (1) use of an integrated hydrologic and hydraulic model of Houston to investigate how different GI built on underutilized land in low-income communities reduces current and future climate change-induced flood risk; (2) appraisal of the benefits of pursuing a GI-based solution to reducing flood damages in vulnerable communities, examining impacts to both residential areas and local businesses; and (3) engagement with community and local government leaders to identify and analyze obstacles hindering the incorporation of proven adaptation strategies and to suggest opportunities for overcoming these obstacles. The project will produce recommendations for cost-effective GI suitable for urbanized coastal neighborhoods, a climate-informed framework for assessing the costs and benefits of such installations in a vulnerable community, and recommendations for partnering with vulnerable communities to advance GI projects.


Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs and planning, spoke to The Dallas Morning News about the mutual aid group Say It With Your Chest's efforts to serve the homeless population of Dallas. Lebovits said interpersonal contact between social service providers and their clients ensures that a social connection has been made. Doing laundry is a gesture of solidarity for Say It With Your Chest's organizers and volunteers, making sure they have clean clothes, reaching out, and reacting to people in need. It has also evolved into a means to care for other community members.


Congratulations to Brad McCorkle for having his Artwork accepted by the Texas Artists Coalition (TAC) for the 2021 Arts Center Juried Exhibition. The 2021 Arts Center Juried Exhibition will showcase McCorkle and other artists’ work between August 13 -September 18. The TAC program is supported by the Arts Council of Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.


Congratulations to Joowon Im and Dennis Chiessa for their exhibit at the Bernice Coulter Templeton Art Studio in the Polytechnic Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth. The project brought landscape architecture and architecture together and could not have happened without the help of local FWISD schools and Community Design Fort Worth. Dennis Chiessa also has a house exhibit currently showing at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center. The House of Asterion - an exhibition featuring seven single-family houses. (open until Saturday, August 7).


CAPPA is the newest institutional member of the Nonprofit Academic Centers Council (NACC). As such, we join a global group of academic centers and programs at accredited colleges and universities that focus on the study of nonprofits, non-governmental organizations, voluntary action, and philanthropy. Our membership in NACC helps faculty promote these fields of research and network alongside our students. CAPPA’s first NACC conference panel on July 28, 2021, was organized by Dr. Karabi C. Bezboruah and Dr. Emily I. Nwakpuda in the Department of Public Affairs and Planning.


Dr. Hyesun Jeong published an article, “Does café culture drive artistic enclaves?” in the Journal of Urbanism.


Dr. Douglas Klahr published an article in German History by Oxford University Press, the journal of record in his field. The title is “Palace versus City: Wilhelm II’s Terrace Project, 1892-1901”


July 2021

Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of urban affairs and public policy discussed what makes up anti-Semitism and discrimination in today’s world, Jewish Public Media reported on its program Talking in Shul.


Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice at the UT Arlington College of Architecture, was honored by the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation as one of eight recipients of a $50,000 prize, The Dallas Morning News reported. The foundation has awarded a collective $2.275 million to individual art writers across the country over the past five years. Lamster is the first recipient of the national award who writes principally about architecture.


June 2021

Dr. Qisheng Pan, Professor of Planning and Director of C-TEDD, recently presented “The Impact of Air Pollution on Housing Prices and The Effect Analysis of Environmental Policies: A Case Study of Houston, USA” at the 15th IACP conference from Jun 20-21, 2021, in Nanjing, China. Dr. Qisheng Pan’s research adopted the Hedonic price model and used housing prices in Houston areas to quantify the impact of ozone pollution on local community populations, which studied the response of housing prices to governmental environment policies.


Dr. Anjomani, Professor of Planning, recently published new research articles in planning and urban-related journals. Dr. Anjomani and Dr. AlQuhtani, have published a paper “Do Rail Transit Stations Affect the Population Density Changes Around Them? The Case of Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area” in the Sustainability 2021, 13(6). The research demonstrated an increase in residential density surrounding transit stations if there were developments or policies to increase racial mix and employment opportunities with mixed-use Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) commercial activities. Dr. Anjomani published an additional article titled, “An integrated land-use/transportation forecasting and planning model: A metropolitan planning support system,” in the Journal of Transportation and Land Use (JTLU). His article proposes a planning and support system (PSS) to help numerous issues in urban areas, such as the effects of future developments on environmental sustainability, economic development, and stakeholder input. Ultimately, the PSS helps institutions prepare metropolitan or subregional plans and demographic analysis for various planning and policy making purposes.


Dr. Hannah Lebovits, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Planning, makes a statement about issues associated with affordable housing in North Texas on KRLD-AM radio. The interview briefly discusses the growth of people living in poverty as North Texas has approximately “138,000 fewer jobs than before the pandemic” despite the recovering economy. Dr. Hannah Lebovits stated that people are experiencing issues with finding affordable housing from population growth that has led to higher rent. Additionally, Dr. Lebovits mentioned that decades of research have demonstrated that landlords discriminate against LGBTQ and black women with children as poverty grows within suburban areas. Jobs may be available to people, but those jobs may not provide enough funds to support a family.


Dr. Hannah Lebovits, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Planning, makes a statement about social justice associated with Feed the People Dallas in The Dallas Morning News. Feed the People distributes care packages, groceries, and meals with the help of community members or volunteers in the Dallas area as the organization grows. However, university faculty members have commented that the mutual aid is a form of solidarity rather charity. Mutual aid originated from the Free African Society in 18th century Philadelphia to “financially support newly free black people.” Mutual aid is a continuing practice that coalesces around marginalized communities and urgent crises, which helps efforts more directly as stated by an SMU nonprofit studies lecturer. Social media and other platforms, such as GoFundMe, has aided the growth of mutual aid during the pandemic. Dr. Hannah Lebovits stated that “the pandemic has shown us that a lot of our institutions aren’t able to get to those people who are hardest hit, so hardest hit folks are taking care of themselves. They’re doing it through mutual aid, as opposed to further interacting with established institutions.”


May 2021

Dr. Qisheng Pan received a sub-award from Texas Southern University (TSU) to work on ongoing research projects of Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions (CM2), USDOT Tier 1 University Transportation Center. Including “Develop a GIS-based Megaregion Transportation Planning Model” (with Dr. Bumseok Chun, Co-PI at TSU), “The Applications of GIS-based Megaregion Transportation. Planning Model: A Case Study on the Impacts of Autonomous Vehicle (AV)” (with Dr. Bumseok Chun, Co-PI at TSU), and “Utilize Crowd-Sourced Data and Machine Learning Technology to Enhance Planning for Transportation Resilience to Flooding” (With Dr. Ming Zhang, PI at UT Austin). Dr. Pan originally served as Principle Investigator (PI) of TSU for the CM2 consortium. After he joined UTA. The sub-award has been developed for UTA with TSU to transfer a portion of Dr. Pan’s CM2 grant to UTA.


David Hopman, associate professor of Landscape Architecture Capstone student project, 'Living Waters Park' which started in fall 2011, is now a full-fledged community service project empowering an underserved Fort Worth community, AB Digital reported. The project mission is to "provide an economic stimulus to East Fort Worth by providing water and land stewardship that targets arts, recreation, and science while preserving the beauty of Lake Arlington and celebrating our diverse community."  


April 2021

Dr. Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of Public Affairs and Planning, writes an article for the Dallas Magazine. The report is on redefining how we discuss homelessness. "Changing the Narrative Around Homelessness In Dallas." Dr. Lebovits emphasizes the current homelessness situation in Dallas. And when she moved to the city, she saw firsthand how housing availability has declined because most do not have a path to livable wages and several other reasons. "The number of people in this region who are experiencing homelessness and do not have any form of shelter has increased significantly in the last several years. 


Diane Allen, FASLA, director and professor of landscape architecture, was featured in the Landscape Architecture Magazine for her candid discussion in “Hear their Voices: Inspiring Stories from Women Leaders in Design Education” ASLA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Webinar convened women of color leaders in architecture and landscape architecture education to discuss networks of mentorship, camaraderie, and solidarity.


Dr. Im Joowoon (Associate Professor of Public Affairs) , Alan Klein (Director of the IUS) and Ph.D student Amruta Amol Sakalker received grant funding from the National Institute for Transportation and Communities Education Grant (NITC) . They received $25,287 for their project which focuses on developing GIS training and lectures to address issues concerning transportation, and environmental justice for high school students who set their career goals within STEAM education, and also concerning urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture.


March 2021

Hannah Lebovits, assistant public affairs and planning professor at UT Arlington, spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the city of Arlington’s need for more housing. She said city leaders should prioritize housing that is both affordable to an array of residents and conducive to economic development in order to attract and maintain residents. Arlington officials and candidates are considering ways to meet the city’s housing demand while avoiding overbuilding. 

Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez and Charles McBride snagged two Research Enhancement Proposals (REP) for 2021-22. Ariadna Reyes-Sanchez received support for her project-- "Sustainability, Water, Energy Use in Informal Communities in Mexico City."  And Charles McBride also received support for his project “Passive House Advocacy and Implementation in Hot and Humid Climates.”


Taner Özdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, is announced as the new Vice President for Research & Creative Scholarship for the Council for Education and Landscape Architecture (CELA). Özdil is looking forward to fulfilling CELA's mission to encourage, support, and further education in the field of landscape architecture specifically related to teaching, research, scholarship, and public service. The goal is to continue recruiting and retaining underrepresented students to landscape architecture programs, helping mentor graduates into professional life and leadership, and fostering an inclusive and welcoming practice environment.


Diane Jones Allen, Kathryn Holliday, Austin Allen and Julia Lindgren featured on the EurekAlert.org for their work with communities to combat environmental racism and urban sprawl.


A team from the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs is one of two nationwide to win a $40,000 SOM Foundation Research Prize to create a design playbook for Black settlements in North Texas, U.S. Fed News and Targeted News Service reported.


CAPPA doctoral student Shadin Nimery and Dr. Hannah Lebovits, a CAPPA Assistant Professor of Public Affairs are featured in the American Political Science Association (APSA). Their article makes a compelling case for layering in qualitative historical data in contemporary urban politics research. The authors emphasized the need for more discussion about historical redlining efforts, particularly as localities move towards an electronically driven “Smart Cities” future.


Dr. Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of Public Affairs, has been selected a second time as the winner of the UTA President’s Award for Transformative Online Education. Dr. Bezboruah was recognized in 2017 for this same award. In addition, in 2020, she was awarded the 2020 Teaching Excellence Award by the U.S. Distance Learning Association. Winners of UT Arlington’s 2021 teaching honors will be recognized at the upcoming Spring Meeting of the University Faculty and Associates in April, 2021


Hannah Lebovits, assistant professor of public affairs at CAPPA, won an award at the Conference of Minority Public Administrators annual conference. Hannah’s paper, titled “Encouraging Social Sustainability in Communities in-Transition - A Restorative Justice Approach,” won the second-place “Best Paper” award and a $1000 cash prize. The paper argues that cities can best engage in stabilization and revitalization efforts by tackling disinvestment head on, giving power back to those who have been marginalized by regional growth and sprawl. Hannah presented her paper to a live, online audience at the February 2020 conference, as well, where she received positive feedback from the audience.


Dennis Chiessa received first place in the 'Real Stories' design competition for his proposal "The Library of Babel." The competition was to design a virtual environment to share stories of people experiencing homelessness. Chiessa says it was inspired by "Jorge Luis Borges the Library of Babel. The gallery is "the universe (which others call the library) is compLibrary an indefinite, perhaps the infinite number of hexagonal galleries." 

"The project is a device for the fortunate to encounter the harsh realities of others in a labyrinth. The format of the competition liberates the architect from the physical world's realities; materials are meaningless, gravity is useless, the scale is ambiguous, the only thing that matters is the library's collection- the story of each individual and how we confront it."


February 2021

Congratulations to Diane Jones Allen, Program Director and Professor of Landscape Architecture, Kate Holliday (Professor of Architecture and Director of the Dillon Center), and Austin Allen (Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Architecture), who just received the SOM Foundation Research Prize on behalf of UTA. This annual prize is only awarded to two institutions nationwide., and we are honored to have them represent CAPPA and the (School of Architecture). Each will receive a grant of $40,000 to conduct original research.

 

The Research Prize was created in 2018 to cultivate new ideas and meaningful research with the goal of addressing critical issues of our time. This year’s topic, “Examining Social Justice in Urban Contexts,” encouraged applicants to explore and identify long-term policies, immediate actions, and comprehensive plans have the potential to shape a more equitable and sustainable future. The proposal is titled “Reclaiming Black Settlements: A Design Playbook for Historic Communities in the Shadow of Sprawl” led by Diane Jones Allen.


Professors Kate Holliday, Austin Allen, Diane Jones Allen, and Julia Lindgren were recently named as 2021 grantees by the Dallas Chamber of Commerce for their research proposal: Design Justice Initiative in Joppa." The UTA David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture is leading a Design Justice Initiative in Joppa, working in close partnership with the South Central Civic League (SCCL), on research, planning, engagement, and implementation of art installations, design-build projects, and research studios that bring students, faculty, and community members together. Work will be led by Assistant Professor Julia Lindgren, UTA School of Architecture. The DRC funds support a UTA graduate research assistant, materials, community workshops, and subcontractor work of the pavilion, in the amount of $20,000."


The IUS recognizes Alan Klein (Director of the IUS) along side Amruta Sakalker(UPPP Ph.D. student), and Meghna Tare (Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact, UTA) for submitting their project “Upper Trinity River Water Quality Report Card” for the 2020 RCE North Texas Award. They received Honorable Mention for contributing to SDG6: Clean Water and Sanitation. This award is given annually to RCEs that have made outstanding contributions to address local, sustainable development challenges in their regions.


January 2021

Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor of Public Affairs, and Beth Piwkowski, a history archivist in Cleveland, wrote an op-ed on  The Forward. An opinion piece in The Forward said that the attack on the Capitol by President Trump supporters was entirely predictable. The Forward is an American news media organization for a Jewish-American audience.

 

November 2020

Qisheng Pan has been confirmed by the U.S Department of Transportation to serve as the next Director of the Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions & Dollars (C-TEDD). Dr. Pan is a Professor in the Department of Public Affairs and Planning. His research focuses on multiple aspects of urban planning, including transportation planning, economic impact analysis, urban and regional planning models. Dr. Pan recently joined CAPPA in the Fall after having served as a Full Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy (UPEP) at Texas Southern University (TSU) since 2011. We are tremendously excited to have him on our faculty and to be leading C-TEDD forward.


October 2020

Charles MacBride, Assistant Professor, will be moderating an Online Hootenanny event. "The Educators Hootenanny provides an opportunity for innovative passive building educators to take a breath, take stock, and consider and discuss this question; Why do we do what we do? MacBride, alongside other Panel members, will share their diverse experiences and their successes, take time to imagine the way forward." MacBride initiated an autonomous program for the student design and construction of certified passive houses.


Austin Allen, associate professor of landscape architecture practice, was featured by ArchDaily in a piece discussing how landscape architects can design with empathy and end dismissive behavior toward people of color.


September 2020

Hannah Lebovits, Assistant Professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, co-wrote a column for PA Times about fostering democratic equity and local election administrations' challenges. PA Times is the newsletter for the American Society for Public Administration.


August 2020

Brad Bell, Director of the School of Architecture for received a 2020 Honor Award from the Texas Society of Architects; Award for Outstanding Educational Contributions in Honor of Edward J. Romieniec FAIA. Brad Bell nominated by AIA Fort Worth and AIA Dallas. This program recognizes exceptional members, firms, individuals, and organizations for outstanding achievements in support of the profession of architecture, the built environment, and quality of life in Texas.

Kate Holliday, also a recipient of the 2020 Texas Society of Architect Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Architecture through the Media in Honor of John G. Flowers Hon. AIA. Nominated by AIA Fort Worth and AIA Dallas.


July 2020

Dr. Karabi Bezboruah is a recipient of an Excellence in Teaching/Training Award from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) 2020 International Distance Learning Awards. Dr. Bezboruah, associate professor of Public Affairs in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. She recently co-edited a book, "Teaching Nonprofit Management." This book was published in April by Edward Elgar Publishing. Dr. Bezboruah teaches the core courses in the Nonprofit Management specialization track and manages the graduate Certificate in Urban Nonprofit Management.


Hannah Lebovits, CAPPA's new incoming assistant professor of Public administration, specializes in social sustainability is featured in a Washington Post column Lebovits believes this years' crises as a total failure of government and institutions. “We’re being gaslit by this country that everything will be fine if we just get back to work,” Lebovits says. “We’re focused on economic stability, business revitalization, what the economy is going to look like after COVID — not what we’re going to look like after COVID.” Her research interests coalesce around issues related to social sustainability and social equity within local and regional governance systems.


June 2020

Congratulations to Dr. Karabi Bezboruah of the Department of Public Affairs and Planning for receiving a CRTLE Research Seed Grant of $5,000. The CRTLE Research Seed Grant Competition supports research that seeks to better understand and advance excellence in teaching and learning and that focuses on the assessment and enhancement of teamwork as the foundation of our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at UTA.


May 2020

Dean Adrian Parr is featured in Column Magazine, Interviewed by Carolyn Mulligan. A complete profile as Dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, UNESCO Water and Human Settlements chair, climate change research, etc. "When you first meet Dean Adrian Parr, you feel like you’ve known her your whole life. Because she is so down to earth and welcoming, you forget for a minute that you’re talking to someone who has traveled to all parts of the world conducting research as the UNESCO Water and Human Settlements chair." Carolyn Mulligan writes.


April 2020

Diane Jones Allen, Director of the Landscape Architecture program and Associate Professor wrote an article published in The Dirt -The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA's weekly digest) about transportation and COVID-19. Diane's' Article focuses on COVID-19, and how it has created an Opportunity for More Equitable Public Transportation. Diane Allen has 30 plus years of experience in professional practice focusing on land planning and varied scales of open space and park design, including community development work.


Oswald Jenewein, assistant professor of architecture for ecological environments and digital design, wrote an op-ed published in Texas Architect Magazine discussing an interdisciplinary project lead by a team of UTA architects, engineers and public policy professors aimed at assessing the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of the petrochemical industry on the built environment around Corpus Christi Bay. 


Mark Lamster, associate professor of Practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and the architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News offers tips on how to make a viral video during the coronavirus in his Dallas Morning News column. Lamster In the column consulted with Bart Weiss, the director of Dallas VideoFest and a UTA associate professor of Film while analyzing a short video created by Alexia Luckett, his student. Mark Lamster states "In adapting to our new normal, the class has undertaken the project of documenting their lives under quarantine on video...I think, a good learning experience for them as filmmakers, but also therapeutic in helping them to digest this moment because the process of filmmaking requires a modicum of intellectual and emotional perspective." 


February 2020

Kate Holliday, associate professor and director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture, is featured on Texas Standard. Kathryn spoke with the Daily news show about how Dillon shaped Dallas’ development, "His real goal is to educate everyone out there, all of the citizens, about what the choices are that citizens have – what their involvement can be in a process.” Kathryn Holliday published more than 60 essays by the pioneering Dallas architecture critic David Dillon in a new book, and her work is highlighted in this news article. 


Ivonne Audirac, associate professor of planning and landscape architecture is featured on The Guardian. Ivonne comments on the topic of "Shrinking Cities," and how over 80 cities in the United States are shrinking in population, and a small number of the city are still trying to improve their quality of life. Ivonne stated, “We cannot go back to where we were...Let’s accept that.” 


January 2020

Brad Bell, director of UTA’s School of Architecture, discussed the City of Dallas’ unique landscape that balances work and leisure activities in Dallas Innovates. Brad commends the Dallas' downtown Arts District, "the city of Dallas made a smart move when it put its performing arts facilities in a downtown Arts District, and private commercial development is going a similar direction by concentrating mixed uses of residential, retail, office, and recreational pursuits." 


Diane Jones Allen, UTA’s director of the Landscape Architecture program in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is a keynote speaker at the UTA African American Heritage Celebration. According to the African American Faculty and Staff Association, "this will be a day for remembering, honoring and investigating the past, present and future accomplishments of the Black community in USA, Texas and particularly at UTA. ”The agenda of this event includes; faculty presentations, a panel discussion on voting rights, educational programs for students and exhibitions.


Kevin Sloan, Professor of Practice and Landscape Architect in Dallas wrote a column "Do the (re)wild thing" for the Dallas Morning News Sunday edition. Kevin Sloan writes, "the Wild Mile is an improvement project that is turning a mile-long section of the polluted Chicago River into a wildlife sanctuary."


Diane Jones Allen, Program Director for Landscape Architecture will be a keynote speaker at The Parks and Greenspace Conference at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Monday, March 23, 2020. Diane will be one of the guest speaking on “the important role that nature plays in creating, maintaining and defining a city” stated by the Saporta Report Atlanta event.


Dean Adrian Parr, Professor Kevin Sloan, Assistant Professor Nick Fang, and Associate Professor Michael Zaretsky, both of civil engineering, and Meghna Tare, UTA’s chief sustainability officer, received the Regional Centres of Expertise North Texas (RCE) 2019 recognition award for its Sustainability Development Goal 15: Life on Land. This award is given annually to RCEs that have made outstanding contributions to address local sustainable development challenges in their regions. As a part of the Future Cities; Livable Futures: Towards a Sustainable Model for Urban-Watershed Systems initiative, the future of the Trinity River Watershed will be re-envisioned as a relevant model for urban watershed management and planning across the United States, says Dean Parr.


December 2019

A UTA study of transit-oriented developments across the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area identifies the most important factors that can increase housing values near those sites, Mirage News reported. Ard Anjomani, a professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and Saad AlQuhtani, a recent alumnus, were the authors of “Do rail transit stations affect housing value changes? The Dallas Fort-Worth metropolitan area case and implications” in the Journal of Transport Geography.


October 2019

Jiwon Suh, assistant professor of public affairs, has been selected for UTA's inaugural ACUE Course in Effective Teaching Practices.  Suh will be a part of a group of 33 UTA faculty that will actively engage this year in building a community of practice. At the completion of the course, she will be certified as an ACUE Faculty, receiving a credential that is endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE) and signifies a commitment to excellence.


Alejandro Rodriguez, associate professor of public affairs, has been recognized by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) as an "ICMA Honorary Member". This honor recognizes individuals outside the local government profession who have contributed to the improvement of local government.


September 2019

The AIA Dallas Latinos in Architecture hosted an ENLACES reception to provide an opportunity for many Latino architects and designers to showcase their works. Ricardo Munoz, Adjunct Assistant Professor, received an HONORS award for his work titled, "Recover".


 Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, was interviewed by the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) in their conversations with CELA series.


August 2019

Kevin Sloan, assistant professor of practice in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, spoke with Green Source DFW about rewilding, a global trend in landscape design that plans for the inclusion of native wildlife as well as native plants.


Mark Lamster, professor in practice at the UT Arlington College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, received the Texas Architect 2019 Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Architecture through the Media in Honor of John G. Flowers Hon. AIA.


Kevin Sloan, UTA professor of practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote an op-ed piece for the Houston Chronicle about Houston being a city that could rewild itself. Sloan is a landscape architect who has advocated for rewilding, an attempt to establish equilibrium between human activity, the needs of animal species and habitat.


July 2019

As social media has surpassed newspapers as a news outlet for all Americans, Richard Greene, professor in practice for the College of Architecture, Planning & Public Affairs, shared his views in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram opinion column. Greene stressed the importance of people ages 18-29 to seek credible news sources as it shapes their understanding of issues and events. Greene is also a former Arlington mayor and served as regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush.


Diane Jones Allen, UTA director of the landscape architecture program in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, has been elected to the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Council of Fellows, ScienMag reported. Election to the Council of Fellows is among the highest honors the ASLA bestows on members and is based on their works, leadership, management, knowledge and service. Jones Allen was also featured in Total Landscape Care, where she spoke about her experiences related to diversity in the field of landscaping architecture and design.


Joseph Portugal and Kay Godbey, adjunct assistant professors of public affairs, have been appointed as members to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Advisory Board on Graduate Education (ABGE).  This is a member group that meets jointly with professors of public administration for the purpose of enhancing the education of future local government management professionals. 


June 2019

Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, has published an article with the National ASLA's The Field called "Reclaiming Land for Downtown Parks in Dallas". Ozdil discusses the challenges of population growth and the invaluable benefits of incorporating nature and open green space in the urban environment.


UTA was one of 20 schools to be named a finalist in the first U.S. Department of Education's Seal of Excelencia designation for impact and success in serving Latino students, The Dallas Morning News reported. UTA’s Maria Martinez-Cosio, associate vice provost for faculty affairs, said while she was disappointed that UTA didn't get recognized this year, she believed the intense review process helped local officials better see what's working and what areas need improvement. “The big takeaway for me was that we have all these pieces that we're pulling together. We are focused and engaged in looking at this data and how we're serving Latino students."


Diane Jones Allen, program director of landscape architecture and principal landscape architect at DesignJones LLC, has a case study in the ASLA Exhibition titled Smart Policies for a Changing Climate. The new exhibition showcases 20 diverse case studies that illustrate the success these recommendations can have in harnessing natural systems, reducing carbon emissions, and improving communities’ resilience to climate change. The exhibition is free and open to the public at ASLA’s Center for Landscape Architecture in Washington D.C.


May 2019

Mark Lamster, associate professor of practice in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said Dallas’ rapid growth and renovation is coming at the expense of preserving the city’s history, in response to the fire that destroyed the historic Ambassador Hotel, Austin's KUT 90.5 FM reported. Lamster, who also serves as the architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News, wrote a piece on the topic for the paper.


Kevin Sloan, a UTA professor of architecture and Dallas-based landscape architect, said Dallas-Fort Worth could be transformed into a first-of-its-kind urban/rural hybrid through a concept known as rewilding, Green Source DFW reported. Rewilding is the practice of returning domesticated land back to a natural state to serve as an environment for both people and native wildlife.


Former architecture critic David Dillon started a conversation about Dallas architecture, and people are still talking, The Dallas Morning News reported in a story covering a panel discussion on the book The Open-Ended CityKathryn Holliday, the director of UTA’s David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and an associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was part of the discussion panel and edited the book, which contains Dillon’s essays


Kathryn Holliday, director of the UTA David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and an associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is lecturing and conducting a book signing honoring the just-released book, The Open-Ended CityEventa reported. The book is a collection of articles written by long-time Dallas Morning News architecture critic Dillon and edited by Holliday


School of Architecture Lecturer, Dustin Wheat, was featured in the May/June 2019 Texas Architect Magazine.


 I.M. Pei, internationally renowned architect, died yesterday at age 102, KRLD 1080 AM reported. Kate Holliday, associate professor in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said Pei contributed greatly to Dallas’ skyline, designing Dallas City Hall, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall and a couple of skyscrapers. Holliday also is the director of UTA’s David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture. Mark Lamster, CAPPA professor in practice and architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News, wrote an obituary profile on Pei for the newspaper.


The Arlington Sunrise Rotary honored UTA faculty members for the fourth year as Professors of the Year for service above self. Oswald Jenewein, a visiting assistant professor of architecture, was one of the recipients.


Kate Holliday, associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture at UTA, was interviewed by the Texas Standard. The interview was about her recent book release of "The Open Ended City", a compilation of David Dillon's greatest works curated and edited by Holliday.


Kevin Sloan, a professor of architecture at UTA and Dallas-based landscape architect, provided perspective on the era of cities hiring “starchitect” landscapers to transform outdoor spaces, the Dallas Observer reported. Sloan said cities discovered that images of spectacular new architectural work and landscaping could be circulated around the world to position a city as a “cultural player.”


Donald Gatzke, associate professor of architecture, provided a presentation with the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) at the School Planning & Management and College Planning & Management 2019 Summit. They presented the work of the “Educational Research Lab,” a graduate level design studio at CAPPA.


April 2019

David Coursey, director of the master of public administration program, and Peggy Semingson, associate professor in the College of Education, has been awarded an Academic Partnerships Faculty Research Grant “Safety Nets: Peer Mentoring, Predictive Analytics, and using Nudge-Based Emails for Online Student Success, Personalized Learning, and Teacher Presence” for $8,900. This competitively awarded grant will fund quasi-experimental research in using peer coaches and innovative “nudging” techniques via Civitas to increase student retention, graduation rates, and general success in both MPA and literacy studies classes.


Kate Holliday, associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture at UTA, has assembled and published more than 60 essays by the pioneering Dallas architecture critic David Dillon in a new book, The Dallas Morning News reported. Holliday will contribute to a panel discussion on Dillon’s legacy hosted by the newspaper on May 21. Mark Lamster, UTA professor in practice and Dallas Morning News architecture critic, wrote the column. 


Diane Jones Allen, UTA’s director of the landscape architecture program in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is one of the guests on a panel about connective parks at the Dallas Architecture Forum. The forum was on Tuesday, April 23, at the Dallas Black Dance Theater, CandysDirt.com reported.


David Coursey, associate professor of public affairs, has been elected as an officer of the UT-System Faculty Advisory Council as Secretary. During his two year term of service he will be contributing to the faculty leadership at UT System.


Mark Lamster, associate professor of practice in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, commented on one Dallas architect's plans to save the aging Hall of State at Fair Park in an article for The Dallas Morning News. This is the first in a series of articles by Lamster as the city of Dallas wrestles with the hurdles of restoring Fair Park’s Hall of State.


March 2019

Joshua Nason, associate professor of architecture, has been selected for his studio to participate in the Global Studio Exhibition at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (SBAU). The SBAU will be taking place in Seoul, South Korea beginning in September of 2019.


Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, has been elected as Region 3 Director for the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA). This region includes Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.


February 2019

The late James Pratt, whose firm, Pratt, Box and Henderson, designed the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was profiled in a Dallas Morning News column by Mark Lamster, a professor in practice of architecture at UTA and the architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News. Pratt will be remembered in a public celebration Sunday.


Steve Quevedo, architecture associate professor, will have his drawing included in the Drawing for the Design Imaginary Exhibitional the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.


Arlington has experienced some success through its Via rideshare program, but some think the city still lacks significant mass transit, the Texarkana GazetteFutureStructure, Newsbug.info and Star-Telegram reported. Diane Allen, UTA’s director of landscape architecture, has written a book on transit deserts and insists Arlington is still one. “I think there’s definitely a need for mass transit,” Allen said. “Via is proving you need more of it. I think it’s just the beginning. I don’t think it’s the solution.”


AIA Fort Worth Awards Ceremony

Dennis Chiessa - Young Professional Award: awarded to a young member of the Fort Worth chapter for serving as a model for young architects and associate members.  This award is given to individuals who, in an early stage of their architectural career, have shown exceptional leadership in Design, Education, and or Service to the profession.

Kate Holliday - Honorary Membership: The AIA recognizes the notable contributions and service of people outside of the architecture profession with Honorary Membership in the Institute.


January 2019

The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) has announced Mark Lamster's book, The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century, as a finalist in the Biography category for "Outstanding Books of 2018".


Texas Architect reviewed Mark Lamster’s book, The Man in the Glass House: Philip Johnson, Architect of the Modern Century. Lamster is a UTA professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and the architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News.


Kevin Sloan, UTA landscape architecture professor in practice and professional landscape architect in Dallas, was interviewed by the Texas Climate News. Sloan discussed the subject of "Rewilding", a practice of designing green space to attract wildlife and reframe cities. 


Transit and walking amenities have a positive effect on attracting knowledge-intensive businesses, Science Trends reported in a column written by Shima Hamidi and Ahoura Zandiatashbar. Hamidi is a UTA assistant professor of planning and Zandiatashbar is a graduate research assistant, both in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. The two wrote a paper on the subject.


Mark Lamster’s biography of Philip Johnson, “The Man in the Glass House,” was reviewed in the Houston Chronicle. Lamster is a UTA associate professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and the architecture critic at The Dallas Morning News.


A UTA study on how urban sprawl lowers the life expectancy of suburbanites by three years was featured on WTIC 1080 AM in Hartford, Conn. Shima Hamidi, UTA assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, led the study.


Maria Martinez-Cosio, associate professor of public affairs, has published an article in the Journal of Civic Society called "Designing for equitable civic engagement: Participatory design and discourse in contested spaces".


Arlington and UTA hold much promise in 2019, Richard Greene wrote in an opinion piece in the Star-Telegram. In the column, Greene said that UTA now has the largest enrollment in the UT System. Greene is a UTA professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. He also is a former Arlington mayor.

December 2018

Diane Jones Allen, director of landscape architecture in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs, and her views on increasing diversity in landscapes were named a top 10 story for February 2018 by Total Landscape Care.


Mark Lamster’s book about famous architect Philip Johnson, The Man in the Glass House, was reviewed in The New Yorker magazine. Lamster is a professor in practice in the College and the architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News. The New Yorker called the book a brisk, clear-eyed new biography of Johnson


Dallas residents got a “first look” of the Trinity River park Thursday, The Dallas Morning News reported in a Mark Lamster column. Brent Brown, a former UTA adjunct architecture professor, is the chief executive and president of the Trinity Park Conservancy, the nonprofit authority commissioned last May by the city to build the park. Lamster is the architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News and an associate professor in practice in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Diane Jones Allen, Program Director and Associate Professor of the Landscape Architecture Program, published an article titled: "Transit and Climate Adaptation = Transit Equity" in "Meeting of the Minds". She discusses how communities without transit accessibility are vulnerable during climate emergencies such as hurricanes and heavy rainfall, and provides recommendations on behalf of the ASLA Blue Ribbon Panel on Climate Change and Resiliency Report.


November 2018

UTA is leading the way in ensuring the region’s healthy, sustainable growth toward megacity status, Dallas Innovates reported. Shima Hamidi and IUS research findings were highlighted on how Dallas is having trouble just getting to work. “More than 65 percent of Dallas’ population has access to less than 4 percent of jobs by transit,” said Hamidi.


Karabi Bezboruah, Associate Professor of Public Affairs and Stephen Mattingly, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering published their research report, Blame-The-Victim Policy Narratives and State-Level Transportation Policy Decisions in May 2018. They were assisted by Jennifer Sloan, PAPP doctoral candidate, and Saeed Ramezanpour, Civil Engineering doctoral candidate. This research was funded by the Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities at Western Michigan University. The results of the research were presented at several conferences. Here are a few:

  1. “When a Pedestrian or Bicyclist Dies, do the Media Cover it, and What do They say?” Presented at the 5th Summer Conference on Livable Communities, Transportation Research Center for Livable Communities, in Kalamazoo, MI, June 2018.
  2. Are Bicyclists and Pedestrians Victims or Villains When Struck by a Vehicle? Journal of Transport & Health, 9(S); S26-S27. Presented at the International Conference on Transport & Health, International Professional Association for Transport & Health, Mackinac Island, MI, June 2018.
  3. Victim or Villain, and Does it Matter?  The Relationship Between Policy Narratives and Policy Implementation. SeCOPA Annual Conference, Alabama, September 2018.
  4. Exploring the Influence of Media Advocacy on Policy Decisions: Nonprofits as Policy Implementing Partners. ARNOVA Annual Conference, Austin, TX, November 2018.
  5. Do Human Service Organizations Collaborate? An Exploration of Strategies Used for Informing Policy-Decisions. ARNOVA Annual Conference, Austin TX, November 2018.

The former Great National Life Insurance Co. offices on Harry Hines Boulevard at Mockingbird Lane was cited by UTA architecture professors Kate Holliday and Douglas Klahr as one on their list of "5 significant Dallas buildings to behold," The Dallas Morning News reported in a story about the building's demolition.


Dennis Chiessa, an architecture lecturer in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, told KXTX Telemundo 39 that studying to become an architect is a good job choice to make a decent wage. The Telemundo piece was about where Latino students have financial opportunities.


Associate Professor, Steve Quevedo, was the winner of the "Richard B. Ferrier Award for Best Physical Delineation" from the 2018 AIA Dallas Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition.


Former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene wrote in a Star-Telegram op-ed column that Tuesday’s election in Arlington approving term limits doesn't mean the current council is doing a poor job. Greene also is a UTA lecturer in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Mark Lamster, UTA professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, explores the life of the iconic architect Philip Johnson in a Dallas Morning News column about his new book The Man in the Glass House. Lamster also is The Dallas Morning News architecture critic. D Magazine also reported on Lamster’s book and about how the collaboration between UTA and The Dallas Morning News placed the critic in North Texas.


October 2018

Mark Lamster, architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News and professor in practice at UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, reviewed the Dallas Museum of Art Show, “Cult of the Machine: Precisionism and American Art” for The Dallas Morning News. The show covers the interwar years of the 1920s and 1930s, when America transformed itself into a modern industrial giant.


David Coursey was elected co-chair of the UT-System Faculty Advisory Council’s Academic Affairs and Faculty Quality Committee for AY18-19. As co-chair, Dr. Coursey will be responsible for helping implement FAC recommendations for non-tenure track faculty policies, parental leave, and workload across UT-System institutions.


UTA researchers determined in a new study that subsidized housing is not affordable in the Dallas-Fort Worth region because its location does not make it transportation friendly, Health Medicine NetworkInformed InfrastructureTargeted News Service and Phys.org reported. Shima Hamidi, assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and two of her doctoral students, Jinat Jahan and Somayeh Moazzeni, published “Does Location Matter? Performance Analysis of the Affordable Housing Programs with Respect to Transportation Affordability in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) Metropolis” in the Transportation Research Record journal.


September 2018

Mark Lamster, UTA associate professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote an analysis on the importance of architect Robert Venturi for The Dallas Morning News. Venturi died this week. 


The Wall Street Journal featured research by Shima Hamidi, director of UTA’s the director Institute of Urban Studies, on the link between urban sprawl and life expectancy. Hamidi’s research found that, all other things being equal, Americans who live in compact metropolitan counties live longer on average than those who reside in more sprawling ones. Hamidi also is an assistant professor of urban planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Adrian Parr, dean of UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was the keynote speaker at the Constructing Architectural Ecologies symposium organized by the Architectural Ecologies Lab at California College of the Arts, The Potrero View in San Francisco reported. Her presentation examined how built environments are turned into weapons of war, as with the leveling of cities like Aleppo or Gaza, and the ecological ramifications of warfare as it pertains to the built environment and sustainable design.


What makes rewilding distinct is that it defines an inventory of natural life that is worked back into the environment and practically supported, wrote Kevin Sloan, a UTA landscape architecture professor in practice and professional landscape architect in Dallas, in a column about rewilding for The Dallas Morning News. Rewilding is an approach to landscape and environmental development that is sweeping the globe.


August 2018

Kathryn Holliday, UTA associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said historic preservation of neighborhoods like Dallas' 10th Street neighborhood, a historic district south of the Trinity River founded by freed slaves after the Civil War, is a “tool for economic development,” The Texarkana Gazette reported.


Diane Jones Allen, UTA associate professor, program director of landscape architecture and principal at DesignJones LLC, was a member of advisory panel that developed a new guide on transportation launched today by the American Society of Landscape Architects, AECCafe, Fleet News Daily and many other media reported. 


Taner Özdil, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, had his peer-reviewed article published in the highly reputable Turkey Architecture Journal called, Mimarlik. The article was titled: "The Art or the Science of Urban Landscape? The Trend of Performance Research in America"(Pages 50-55)View the English summary here.


Kathryn Holliday and Kevin Sloan, professors in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, were cited in a Christian Science Monitor article about deck parks in neighborhoods divided by highways. Both commented on the planned deck park in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood, which seeks to rejuvenate this black and Latino community situated around Interstate 35.


July 2018

Recently published studies show that urban sprawl reduces life expectancy of its inhabitants and doesn't attract knowledge-intensive businesses, Medicine Newsline, ScienceDailyBrightSurf, TechSite and other websites reported. Shima Hamidi, UTA assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and two directors of the National Institutes of Health did the sprawl-life expectancy study, while Hamidi teamed with Ahoura Zandiatashbar, a UTA research associate, to write about how sprawl affects attracting the knowledge economy.


The 200-acre Harold Simmons Park between the Trinity River levees is moving forward, D Magazine reported. The article mentioned Kevin Sloan, UTA assistant professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, who has written extensively about re-wilding the river.


June 2018

The American Society of Landscape Architects released its smart policies for a changing climate, Environment Guru, Landscape Architecture Magazine and Prism reported. ASLA’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Climate Change and Resilience released the list of standard development practices to help secure a more sustainable future. Diane Jones Allen, program director for landscape architecture in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, served on the panel. Allen also is a principal landscape architect with DesignJones LLC.


Richard Greene, professor in practice at UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote an op-ed article in the Star-Telegram about the advantage of tax breaks for developments such as the Arlington Highlands retail development, which proved so successful the Arlington City Council terminated its tax break. Greene is a former Arlington mayor.


A Star-Telegram op-ed column explains why North Texas won’t have the same smoggy air that engulfed Los Angeles in the 1990s. Richard Greene, a UTA adjunct professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Administration and former Arlington mayor, wrote the column.


Dallas should learn how to build Trinity Park from Houston’s Buffalo Bayou, Mark Lamster wrote in a Dallas Morning News  column. Lamster is a professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


May 2018

UTA is continuing its legacy of setting milestones of achievement across the broad spectrum of higher education, a Star-Telegram op-ed column by Richard Greene said. The column praised the University’s outcomes in terms of preparing graduates for successful careers. Greene is a former Arlington mayor and an adjunct professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Mark Lamster, a UTA professor and the architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News, talked about how architecture criticism has evolved to include important urban issues in The Architect’s Newspaper.


Experts say car ownership is changing and predict that before long, it will look nothing like it has for the past century, mainly because of technology, CBN News reported. Shima Hamidi, UTA assistant professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said research shows that low-income families pay the most for car ownership because affordable housing is rarely close to public transportation.


Ivonne Audirac, an associate professor of Planning, moderated a panel event called "Smart Growth for Dallas Equitable Development & Public Space Panel" on May 17. The panel explored the issues of urban development and the effect of public space design on neighborhood vitality.


April 2018

An article co authored by Shima Hamidi and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been published: “Associations between Urban Sprawl and Life Expectancy in the United States"International Journal of  Environmental Research and Public Health 2018, 15, 861. The article explains how the study investigated cross-sectional associations between sprawl and life expectancy for metropolitan counties in the United States in 2010.


CAPPA faculty honored at UTA’s Spring 2018 Faculty Awards included:

•  Dean James Grover was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Scholars for his research work as a Professor of Biology. The Academy of Distinguished Scholars fosters and advocates for the importance of research and creative activity, promotes a sense of community among scholars, and advises on research practices and policies.

•  Professor of Planning Jianling Li, was honored for serving as a mentor for junior faculty in the University-wide Faculty Mentoring Program during the 2017-18 academic year.

•  Program Director and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture Diane Allen and Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture Joowon Im received Research Enhancement Program Grants for 2018-19 for their research project “A Study of Community Engagement in the Collaborative Design Process of the Pilot Green Infrastructure Planning and Design to Promote Sustainable Development in Downtown Arlington, TX”.

Congratulations to all our faculty honorees!


Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in the School of Architecture, served on a panel at EarthX, the world’s largest environmental festival, to discuss the topic: “How Audubon is Changing the World.” Sloan impressed the idea of continuing to converge humanity and nature in Dallas — something that has already begun with the bobcats that have become fixtures throughout the city. “A couple academic units are putting radio collars on urban wildcats and tracking them going through our watershed network. We’ve built, deliberately or indeliberately, a new kind of city forum that allows civilization and wildlife to coexist", Sloan says.


Diane Allen, UTA’s associate professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture for CAPPA, contributed a column to American Society of Landscape Architects’ The Dirt blog on “Why Smart Urban Design May Save Us from Natural Disasters and Address Social Justice.”


David Hopman, associate professor of Landscape Architecture, was nominated by the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and chosen to be recognized by The Arlington Sunrise Rotary Club for the “Professor of the Year” Award. This honor is given to faculty that represent “service above self,” which is the Rotary motto. Nominees from UTA will be recognized by the Arlington Sunrise Rotary on Friday, May 11th at 6:45 AM at the Rolling Hills Country Club.


Oswald Jenewein, visiting architecture assistant professor and chairperson of the college’s study abroad committee, said the Austria exchange program has increased in the last two years and has the highest participation numbers in at least 10 years. The exchange programs with students currently abroad are made possible through collaborations with the University of Innsbruck and Lund University in Sweden.


Lorena Toffer, former adjunct assistant professor in the School of Architecture, was a recognized honoree for the 2018 Hidden Figures of Dallas: Top STEM Influencers. This honor recognizes men and women in the DFW metroplex who have made advancements in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in their workplaces and/or the community.  


Larry Scarpa, principal of Brooks + Scarpa and an affordable housing expert, will be the keynote lecturer on the Physical City at the Dallas Festival of Ideas April 7, The Dallas Morning News reported in a Mark Lamster column. Lamster is the DMN's architecture critic, a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a professor-in-practice at UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. UTA is a 2018 sponsor of the festival.


March 2018

Local entities, as well as the federal government, could promote upward mobility through better transportation policies, Shima Hamidi wrote in a column for the Eno Center for Transportation. Hamidi is an Assistant Professor of Planning and director of UTA’s Institute of Urban Studies. The Eno Center for Transportation, created in 1921, seeks to promote safe mobility by ensuring traffic control and management.


Dr. Diane Allen Jones was the special guest speaker for the AIA Dallas Women in Architecture Happy Hour event at the German Kitchen Center in Dallas on March 21.


UTA professor Don Gatzke has been named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture. Gatzke received the honor  for "elevating architectural education by emphatically connecting architecture schools to the public and to the profession, and by helping to provide opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds," Texas Architect Magazine said.


Maria Martinez-Cosio, a UTA associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA), has been elected to the board of the The Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutes Educators, U.S. Fed News reported. 


Shima Hamidi, director of UTA's Institute of Urban Studies, was featured in a Star-Telegram article about Arlington and Fort Worth’s experiences trying to regulate bike-share companies. UTA launched an exclusive bike-share program with Zagster in August that includes 40 bikes at seven docking stations around campus.


The Dallas Observer covered Shima Hamidi's map depicting transportation inequities in Dallas. Hamidi is director of UTA’s Institute of Urban Studies and an assistant professor of urban planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA).


Diane Jones, program director for Landscape Architecture in UTA's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA) and a principal landscape architect of DesignJones LLC, still thinks there is more that can be done to bring awareness of the landscape architecture career field to African Americans, women and other minorities, Total Landscape Care reported. Jones Allen hopes that in the future more African American students, as well as other minority students, will be exposed to the idea of landscape architecture at a young age and become inspired to pursue this career path.


February 2018

Mark Lamster, professor in practice at UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote a review for the Dallas Morning News of Ellsworth Kelly’s posthumous final work, which was unveiled last week on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Lamster described the building as a “genuine, real-life time machine.”


Mark Lamster, architecture critic of the Dallas Morning News and professor in practice in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is developing a  series of interactive lectures, panels and discussions on “Gentrified Dallas: A month long Investigation into the Changing City,” The Dallas Morning News reported. The series starts March 1.


Austin architect Jamie Crawley was one of 18 recipients of the American Institute of Architects 2018 Young Architects Award, The Daily Telescope reported. Crawley previously taught in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Diane Jones Allen, program director for landscape architecture in UTA's College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, participated in the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Blue Ribbon Panel on Climate Change and Resilience, PrismNewEdge.com, WTOC CBS 11, Business Wire in Savannah, Ga., and several other websites reported. The panel will release its recommendations this spring. The story was saluting African Americans during Black History Month.


Connections such as the Trinity River Trail are critical to the Metroplex in regards to regional connectivity for jobs and schools, said Taner Özdil, landscape architecture associate professor for the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. The Trinity River Trail in River Legacy Park is being extended to fill in the trail’s gaps of what is expected be a 60-mile trail system through the Metroplex. Özdil said public transportation and hike and bike trails are critical to mobility in the region and the Metroplex needs to be better connected. It’s up to the cities to decide where connections end and begin, Özdil tells The Shorthorn.


The Dallas Morning News reported on UTA’s study of a potential redesign of the north entrance to Dallas Love Field. The article focused on the future of Bachman Lake. Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is leading the Love Field study.


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor in Public Affairs, will be an invited guest speaker for the 2018 Chautauquas Conference on Family Resilience. The conference will take place on February 23 at Oklahoma State University with this year's theme: “Resilience and the Community: How to Build Resilient Communities and How Communities Build Resilient Families." Karabi's talk title will be on "Building and Strengthening Communities: What Works? What Doesn’t?"


Kathryn Holliday, associate professor and architectural historian in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, will take part in a roundtable symposium entitled “People, Places and Politics of the City” on Monday, Feb. 5, publicnow.com reported. A senior planner for the city of Dallas and a social justice attorney will accompany Holliday on the panel.


January 2018

Former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene, a UTA professor in practice in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA), was featured in the city of Arlington’s American Dream series, PublicNow.com reported.


An article in D Magazine complimented the work of the Institute of Urban Studies in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs. The story says UTA has become a center for the region’s best thinking about public transit and affordable housing thanks in large part to the work of the institute under director Shima Hamidi.


Dallas’ Kalita Humphreys Theater, an iconic work by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, needs to be restored, according to Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News. In an interview with KERA 90.1 FM, Lamster said the theater has never really been properly cared for, but a new conservancy could finally be the key to saving the structure.


Ford Motor Co. honored Maria Martinez-Cosio, UTA’s associate vice provost for faculty development and associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs (CAPPA), with a Mujeres Legendarias Award, according to Public Now, El Comunicador de DallasU.S. Fed News, 4-Traders, Education LetterNewsRX Health and Science and Scienmag. Mujeres Legendarias, or legendary women, is a national program honoring Hispanic women who are improving their communities. She was honored for leading efforts that resulted in transformational change on the UTA campus in the critical areas of access and success for traditionally undeserved populations such as low-income, Hispanic or first-generation students.

December 2017

Douglas Klahr, Associate Dean of the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, is an architectural historian whose teaching focuses upon contemporary issues, for "history begins yesterday". Among the numerous courses that he has created regarding such issues is "Slum Housing in the Developing World", which coincided with the publication of the article upon which his TED Talk is based. Dr. Klahr's research interests examine the political and cultural contexts in which architecture is created and photographically documented. View his TED Talk HERE.


Dallas’s Kalita Humphreys Theater, an iconic work by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, needs to be restored, wrote Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News. Lamster said no other building in Dallas has been as mistreated, misused or mismanaged.


Director of UTA’s Institute of Urban Studies Shima Hamidi offered analysis of her recent report on Dallas Area Rapid Transit on KERA 90.1 FM. Hamidi explained the equity challenges Dallas currently faces and explained why a new plan to optimize transportation tools that are already in place would benefit everyone.


Diane Jones Allen, director of landscape architecture in UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, provided insight to the Star-Telegram for a story about the City of Arlington’s new Via rideshare app. Allen recently authored a book about transit deserts, and she said Arlington falls into that category.


An article authored by Associate Dean Douglas Klahr has been published: “Stereoscopic Architectural Photography and Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology,” Zarch Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism 9 (December 2017), 84-105.  Zarch is a double blind, peer-reviewed journal published by the University of Zaragoza.  The article explains how the stereoscopic viewing experience, which was the precursor of virtual reality, is a manifestation of the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy of phenomenology.


Enid Arvidson, UTA associate professor of planning and public affairs, was among 200 public policy and economics professors who wrote an open letter to Congress opposing tax plans approved by both houses, according to blackstarnews.com.


A UTA study researching affordable transportation and housing in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex shows the area has a lack of both, according to KRLD 1080 AM. Shima Hamidi, director of UTA’s Institute of Urban Studies and an assistant professor of urban planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said low income families across North Texas are forced to spend a disproportionate amount of their income on transportation.


November 2017

A book chapter by Associate Dean Douglas Klahr has been published: “Department Stores and Their Display Windows during the Prewar Third Reich: Prevailing within a Hostile Nazi Consumer Culture,” in Architectures of Display: Department Stores and Modern Retail, edited by Anca Lasc, Patricia Lara-Betancourt, and Margaret Maile Petty (New York: Routledge, 2017).  From the introduction by the editors: “In Germany, Klahr argues, an anti-Warenhäuser (anti-department stores) sentiment had developed since the 1880s.  This reached an all-time apogee in the Nazi period, following contemporary identification of department stores with their Jewish owners.  Since they were vital to supporting the regime, large-scale retailers never were shut down, but the merchandise they sold and the displays they created were heavily regulated by the Nazi regime.  In order to prevail ‘within a hostile consumer culture’, and to differentiate themselves from small shops, Warenhäuser created elaborate tableaux in their display windows, where goods, although in tone with the ongoing political agenda, were part of a larger narrative.”


Diane Jones Allen, program director of landscape architecture, wrote a column about the evolution of transit deserts and how to achieve transit equity and mobility for Metro, a magazine for the transit and motorcoach industry.


October 2017

Kate Holliday, associate professor in the School of architecture and director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture, wrote a review of Constructing Houston’s Future: The Architecture of Arthur Evan Jones and Lloyd Morgan Jones for Off Cite, the website of the Architecture + Design Review of Houston.


Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice of architecture and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News, wrote a critique of Toyota’s new Plano headquarters that notes that from an architectural perspective it is lacking in inspiration. He called the new space the equivalent of a Camry – "safe, but boring."


Program Director of Landscape Architecture Diane Jones Allen’s recently published book Lost in the Transit Desert: Race, Transit Access, and Suburban Form was featured on EurekAlert! The article noted that the book says lack of access increases social inequality, and that there are solutions to reversing transit deserts in some urban centers but it could take decades of innovative planning to be successful. 


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of Public Affairs, along with doctoral students Priscylla Bento, Brandie L. Green, Jennifer K. Panas, and Wesley S. Parks, published the article, "Cross-Sector Community Revitalization: An Experiential Case Study” in the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. This article is based on a service-learning project conducted by the PAPP 5355 Nonprofit Organizations in Public Policy class in Fall 2015.


Planning faculty participated in multiple events at the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) conference earlier this month. Faculty presenting papers included Professor Ard Anjomani, Associate Professor Ivonne Audirac and Assistant Professor Shima Hamidi. Dr. Audirac and Dr. Hamidi also participated in roundtables and sessions. Dr. Hamidi and doctoral student Ahoura Zandiatashbar also won Best Poster Award at the conference.


Diane Jones Allen, program director for Landscape Architecture, spoke about her work in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward at the second Black in Design conference, The Architect’s Newspaper reported. The Harvard University Graduate School of Design’s African American Student Union organized the three-day event.


An article on the Hyperallergic forum highlighted an exhibit of photographs by Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice of architecture, Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News. The exhibit, titled The Island That Nobody Knows, features Lamster’s images of the Deer Island Wastewater Management Plant in Boston and continues through October 28 at Pinkcomma Gallery in Boston.


September 2017

Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor in planning, was interviewed by WFAA ABC 8 about bike sharing initiatives in Dallas. Hamidi said that while bikes from docking stations are typically for recreation, station-less bikes could be more functional and part of a larger transportation system if planned correctly.


Dennehy Architects, with alumnus Paul Dennehy (’80 BS, Architecture), Professor Don Gatzke, and Lecturer Dennis Chiessa were selected for the Amarillo Museum of Art Biennial 600: Architecture which runs through Oct. 1. A Tandy Hills Pavilion design by alumnus Dennehy, Gatzke and Chiessa was chosen as “Best Example of New Architecture” by Fort Worth Weekly in their “Best of Culture” edition. Chiessa was also selected for ENLACES, a juried exhibition presented by AIA Dallas Latinos in Architecture Network, and received an Honor Award from the jurors and a People’s Choice Award during the reception in early September.


Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice of architecture, Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News, wrote Dallas Morning News column that was a tribute to Dallas architect Frank Welch, dean of Texas modernism. 


UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs assisted La Bajada Urban Youth Farm with project development and design services, WFAA ABC 8 reported. The garden aims to educate teens on sustainable food production and foster community. The La Bajada Urban Youth Farm project was developed by Professor of Architecture Don Gatzke.


Dallas Innovates reported that Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor in planning, has been nominated by Planetizen as one of the “Most Influential Urbanists” of all time. Hamidi is known for her research on topics such as urban sprawl and upward mobility. You can vote for Hamidi here.


Diane Jones Allen, program director for landscape architecture, has been selected to serve on an American Society of Landscape Architects blue ribbon panel on climate change and resilience College Planning and Management, The Buffalo News and various other media outlets reported. The panel will make public-policy recommendations for mitigating and adapting to climate change through resilient design, retrofit reported. Environment Guru and The Dirt also noted that Allen will give a lecture at the Black in Design conference, hosted by the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.


August 2017

Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice of architecture and architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News, co-wrote a review in The Dallas Morning News about the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Lamster said the museum’s use of a repurposed industrial space could be a model for Dallas.


Bob Hart TCMA Lifetime Achievement AwardAdjunct Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Corinth City Manager Bob Hart was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas City Management Association. The award is given to a city manager who has significantly contributed to local government for more than 20 years. Hart’s career in city management has spanned six Texas cities: Sundown, Sweetwater, Pampa, Georgetown, Kennedale and Corinth.


Professor in Practice in Planning and Public Affairs Richard Greene, a former Arlington mayor and EPA director, wrote in a Star-Telegram opinion column that Arlington school district is proving voters made the right decision in approving the largest bond election in its history three years ago. He said new facilities and resources equal success in public education. He also said the partnership among AISD and Tarrant County College, UTA and the city of Arlington is part of the success.


Mark Lamster, architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News and a CAPPA associate professor in practice of architecture, wrote in a Dallas Morning News column that the Dallas Museum of Art should stop ignoring design in the city of Dallas. He wrote that the space dedicated to the modern and contemporary design gallery no longer exists.


July 2017

Shima Hamidi, assistant professor in planning, has co-written “The Cost of Sprawl,” a book that empirically shows how badly sprawl affects health and other quality-of-life outcomes, phys.org reported.


June 2017

Associate Professor of Public Affairs Rod Hissong’s article “The Role of Private Legal Representation and the Implicit Effect of Defendants’ Demographic Characteristics in Setting Bail and Obtaining Pretrial Release” has been accepted for publication in Criminal Justice Policy Review.


Interim Program Director and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture David Hopman is Co-Principal Investigator with Assistant Professor of Social Work Courtney Cronley and Associate Professor of Kinesiology Larry Nelson on “GOE! Pilot Testing a Community Gardening and Outdoor Engagement Intervention to Reduce Health Disparities among Homeless Youth” funded by IRP. 


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of public affairs, was invited to speak at an event sponsored by KERA, "One Crisis Away: No Place to Go,” on the housing crisis and gentrification in West Dallas on June 15.


Professor in Practice in Planning and Public Affairs Richard Greene, a former Arlington Mayor and regional administrator for the EPA, wrote in a Star-Telegram opinion column that President Trump has shown true leadership in getting the United States out of the Paris Accord, which he termed a bad deal.


Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in practice in the School of Architecture, has a commentary in the Dallas Morning News about the City of Dallas’ appearance and how it reflects the city’s values titled "What does a close look at Dallas tell us about our values and priorities?".


May 2017

Joshua Nason, assistant professor of architecture, served on a jury panel for Texas A & M University’s Department of Architecture’s 2017 Celebration of Excellence, Texas A & M Today reported.


Two projects by Architecture Lecturer Bang Dang’s firm, Far + Dang, will be on the modern homes tour in Dallas.


HA Architecture, the studio in Austin where Architecture Lecturer Brad McCorkle works, has been selected for the 4th Annual Creek Show.  


April 2017

Associate Professor of Public Affairs Karabi Bezboruah co-authored the article “Microcredit and development: a multi-level examination of women’s participation in microfinance institutions” with Vijay Pillai. The article was published in the April 2017 issue of the journal Development in Practice.


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of public affairs, was awarded the President’s Award for Transformative Online Education in honor of her outstanding achievement and many contributions to the university.


Assistant Professor Joshua Nason will receive the Service Above Self Recognition from the Arlington Sunrise Rotary, in honor of his exemplary and sustained service to the university, profession, and community.


Shima Hamidi, assistant professor in planning, will be inducted into the inaugural class of Presidential Fellows at UTA. This award recognizes ongoing scholarship and dedication to enhancing collaborative and cross-disciplinary research.


Alejandro Rodriguez, interim chair and associate professor of public affairs, and Jeff Whatley were honored for 15 years of service at UTA on April 12.


Professor in Practice in Planning and Public Affairs Richard Greene, a former Arlington Mayor, wrote a Star-Telegram op-ed about the Community Influence Leaders Roundtable, a local organization to promote racial and ethnic diversity, which now plans to reach out to UTA to expand the collaboration.


Bang Dang, lecturer in the School of Architecture, will be part of the annual Creative Conversation panel in Dallas on April 10. The panel’s theme is Art, Architecture, and Placemaking. Dallas Innovates reported on the event.


March 2017

D Magazine’s Frontburner blog featured a post on a presentation by Shima Hamidi, Executive Director of the Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions and Dollars; Director of the Institute of Urban Studies; and Assistant Professor of Planning. The presentation to the Dallas City Council’s Quality of Life committee was about transportation equality. The Dallas Morning News and Dallas City News Network also featured the presentation, which noted that only 28.3 percent of affordable housing in the Dallas-Plano-Irving area is actually affordable when the cost of transportation is factored in.


In an op-ed in the Star-Telegram, Richard Greene, professor in practice in Planning and Public Affairs, cited UTA's College Park Center as an example of the direct result of the city's downtown enterprise zone in a piece about a proposed bill in the Texas Senate.


Douglas Klahr, associate dean and associate professor of Architecture, presented a paper on “The Materiality of Early Stereoscopic Photography: Silver, Glass, Tissue Paper and Cardboard” at the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Art History, held at the Bibliotheca Hertziana in Rome.


Ivonne Audirac, associate professor of Planning, is part of a team awarded $734,430 by twenty-two cities and housing authorities to pursue the North Texas Regional housing assessment. Other faculty on this team are from the Department of Civil Engineering and the School of Social Work. The project manager is CAPPA PhD student Myriam Igoufe and other CAPPA students working as graduate research assistants on the project are Flora Brewer, Indira Manandhar, Eric Varela and Lorin Washington. Read the full UTA News Release about the project.


In a guest column in TribTalk, Richard Greene, professor in practice in Planning and Public Affairs, said UTA is exceeding its own expectations in several spheres, including enrollment and research. Greene is a former mayor of Arlington. TribTalk is the opinion page for the online Texas Tribune.


February 2017

CAPPA Dean Nan Ellin has a piece titled “How DFW could go from a bunch of strong cities to a regional powerhouse” in the Dallas Morning News. 


Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in practice in the School of Architecture, has an article in the Dallas Morning News titled “DFW should embrace the Trinity River for sustainable living that is uniquely Texan”. He also has an article titled “Go with the Flow” in the current issue of D Magazine.


Kate Holliday, associate professor in the School of Architecture, has two articles in the most recent issue of Columns. One discussed disinvestment and highway construction in Dallas, and the other is a profile of Jane Landry, FAIA


A design submitted by alumnus Paul Dennehy (’80 BS, Architecture), and Professor Don Gatzke and Lecturer Dennis Chiessa of the School of Architecture, was selected as the winning entry in the Tandy Hills Pavilion Design Competition. A panel of judges, working without knowledge of the 20 submitting teams, selected the winning design.


Madan Mehta, professor in the School of Architecture, authored the recently published third edition of Building Construction: Principles, Materials, and Systems.


The LSE USCentre blog on American Politics and Policy featured a post on recent research published by Adjunct Assistant Professor of Planning Nicole Foster, PhD student James Murdoch and former Associate Professor of Planning Carl Grodach.  The research explores the relationship between arts industries and gentrification.


A national meta-analysis by Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and an assistant professor of planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was featured in ScienMag and Health Medicine Network. The study shows that single-family property increases about 2.3 percent when located next to a transit station.


Nan Ellin, dean of the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote that the Trinity River could be a game-changer for North Texas in a special column in the Star-Telegram.


Associate Professor Taner Ozdil has been selected as one of five Landscape Architecture Foundations-LAF 2017 CSI Research Fellows. The other recipients of this prestigious Fellowship come from from Columbia University, Penn State, the University of Technology Sydney, and West Virginia University.


A piece by Hunter Roth, Digital Fabrication Specialist, was awarded Best of Show at a SITE131 competition. Roth’s Fairy Landish birdhouse was selected for the award by The Dallas Morning News architect critic and CAPPA Associate Professor in Practice Mark Lamster.


January 2017

CAPPA Dean Nan Ellin and Michelle Corson, chief executive of Champion Impact Capital in Dallas, penned an editorial for the Dallas Morning News titled "Fair Park could become a vibrant part of the city, but how do we pay for it?", encouraging Dallas to develop a financial plan for revitalizing Fair Park that focuses on philanthropy and creative financial mechanisms rather than taxpayer funding.

December 2016

Mark Lamster, architecture critic for the Dallas Morning News and a professor in practice of architecture at the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, wrote an open letter in the Dallas Morning News to Ben Carson about how to solve the housing crisis. Carson is President-elect Donald Trump’s selection for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.


Professors in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs and the Department of Civil Engineering have won three U.S. Department of Transportation grants in a national competition to work on improving transportation, Informed Infrastructure, Oregon's Herald and News and D Magazine reported.


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and an assistant professor of planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was quoted in a The Texas Tribune article on bus ridership in Texas. The article also appeared on Houston's KHOU.com website.


Kevin Sloan, an assistant professor in practice in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, discussed the importance of megacities in the 21st century in a Dallas Morning News opinion piece.


November 2016

Members of the faculty from CAPPA were recognized as finalists and award winners by AIA Dallas’s 2016 Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition. The Ken Roberts Memorial Delineation Competition (KRob) has celebrated the best in architectural delineation for 42 years. KRob honors hand and digital delineation by professionals and students throughout the world and has averaged over 400 entries from 25 countries over the past several years.

In addition, a number of CAPPA students were also selected as finalists.

WINNER - The Richard B. Ferrier Award for Best Physical Delineation
Steve Quevedo
University of Texas at Arlington
Professional Physical Submission

WINNER - Best in Category
Thomas Rusher, REGISTERED ARCHITECT
RUSHER STUDIO LLC
Professional 3D Print

Finalist
Justin Ashby
University of Texas at Arlington
Student Hand

Finalist
Kelly Camargo
UT Arlington
Student Hand

Finalist
Asher Frailey, AIAS
University of Texas at Arlington
Student Hand

Finalist
Steve Quevedo
University of Texas at Arlington
Professional Hand

Finalist
Dustin Wheat, Architect
University of Texas Arlington
Professional Physical Submission

Finalist
Dustin Wheat, Architect
University of Texas Arlington
Professional Travel Sketch

Finalist
Thomas Rusher, REGISTERED ARCHITECT
RUSHER STUDIO LLC
Professional 3D Print


Pat D. Taylor has been inducted as a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. This honor was bestowed on on twenty-eight of the more than five thousand eligible landscape architects in the country. Until his recent retirement, Dr. Taylor served as Director of the Landscape Architecture Program at UTA for twenty-four years. During that time, he taught hundreds of students, chaired sixty-three master’s thesis committees and directed the Landscape Architecture Program at UTA to national prominence and to ranking among the top 15 in the nation twice since 2010.


Architect Marina Tabassum was recognized with the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Bait Ur Rouf mosque in Bangladesh, according to The National. The US$1 million award is notable for being the world’s richest architectural prize. Marina Tabassum served as visiting professor at CAPPA last year.


Kate Holliday, director of UTA's David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, said people need to learn from the structures that have gone into making Dallas, The Dallas Morning News reported in covering the Festival of Ideas. Holliday, an architecture historian, said, “This is not something that happened overnight...We need to understand our history better, and to be honest about it and learn from our mistakes.”


Dallas Architecture Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing public education about architecture, design and the urban environment, will open its 2016-2017 Panel Discussion Series Nov. 21 with “Dallas Trails and Bicycle Initiatives: Past, Present, Future,” Park Cities Bubble LifeOak Cliff Bubble LifeSouth Dallas Bubble Life and Preston Hollow Bubble Life reported. Dallas County Commissioner Theresa Daniel will be one of the panelists. District 1’s Daniel was an adjunct professor of urban and public affairs at UTA prior to her election.


October 2016

Bang Dang and Rizwan Faruqui, AIA, partners at Far + Dang in Dallas, received a Juror Citation in the 2016 AIA Dallas Built Design Awards. (View their project, Twin Gables.)


A 6-page article in the October issue of D Magazine about CAPPA called "How to Build a MegaCity" features Dean Ellin and three of our “Star Students": Myriam Igoufe, Ahoura Zandiatashbar, and Lorin Washington.


September 2016

Kate Holliday, director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and UTA associate professor in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, will deliver the Samuel Benton Cantey III Lecture, “Flying Saucers, Catwalks, and Craters: A History of the Future in Fort Worth,” Historic Fort Worth’s Facebook page said.


Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, was published in The Field, ASLA's Professional Practice Networks' Blog. "Will the ‘Real Urban Designer’ Please Stand Up! Part I: Tracing the Roots" focuses on the terminology and history of urban design. Part II: Seeking Future Identity concentrates on the evolving definition along with the current and anticipated future practices of urban design.


Todd Hamilton, professor of architecture, was recognized by Builder Magazine with a 2016 Design Award for the Deloache Residence project. Professor Hamilton served the project as the architect of record. Boback Firoozbakht ('08 BS), creative director at the Dallas-based firm BDDM, served as the designer.


CAPPA's Kevin Sloan, Assistant Professor in Practice in the School of Architecture, has been selected by The Dallas Morning News as a volunteer columnist in its Community Voices program. Twenty-four writers were selected for 2016-2017, representing a diverse set of views, backgrounds and life experiences.

Voices columnists are volunteers chosen by The Dallas Morning News to be regular contributors for one year. Voices volunteers write opinion columns every four to six weeks. They also participate in writing workshops and other special events.


In its seventh year celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month, the AIA Dallas Latinos in Architecture Network presents ENLACES, a juried exhibition showcasing Latino architects and design professionals in Dallas.

A number of CAPPA faculty and alumni are among the selected exhibitors that will be honored at ENLACES and have their work exhibited at the Dallas Center for Architecture:

  • Carlos Bautista (MArch student, ‘15 BS), Olsen Studios
  • Dennis Chiessa (‘07 BS, ‘09 MArch), CAPPA (Lecturer of Architecture)
  • Alma Espinoza, Assoc. AIA (’11 BS, ’15 MArch), WDG Architecture
  • Wendy Hurtado (MArch student, ‘16 BS), Far + Dang
  • Ricardo Leon, Assoc. AIA (’07 BS), CAPPA (Lecturer of Architecture) and Far + Dang
  • Miguel Mendez, (MArch student, ’16 BS)
  • Ricardo Munoz, AIA (’07 BS), CAPPA (Lecturer of Architecture) and Page

Exhibition Opening

Wednesday, September 28

6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Latino Cultural Center

FREE event; please register to attend


Kate Holliday, director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and associate professor of architecture, was the presenting author of “Urban Sprawl, Social Media and the Town Hall Square as a Symbol for Civic Culture,” a paper written with Colleen Casey, interim chair for the Department of Public Affairs and associate professor of public affairs, focusing on city halls and plazas in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan region.  The paper was part of the session “Town Hall Squares as Spatial Focal Points of Urban Life in the 19th and 20th Century” at the European Association of Urban History Conference in Helsinki, Finland in August 2016. The research project was funded by a CAPPA seed grant.


Kate Holliday, director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture and associate professor of architecture, presented “The Windowless Technological Box: The Beginnings of the Invisible Telecommunications Network,” at the Society for the History of Technology Conference at Tembusu College at the National University of Singapore in June 2016.  


Richard Greene, former Arlington mayor and professor in practice of public affairs, authored an op-ed article, “Becoming the model 21st-century urban research university,” in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The article explains UTA’s strategic vision and growing impact on the local economy, and describes how UTA has changed since Greene started working with the university 20 years ago.


August 2016

Ricardo Munoz, lecturer of architecture, earned a 2016 Texas Society of Architects Studio Award for his Element House design. The jurors deliberated over 45 entries, ultimately selecting five winning projects.


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of public affairs, received a Capacity Building Scholarship from the One Star Foundation to attend the 2016 Mission Capital Conference, a national conference for nonprofit scholars and practitioners held in Austin on September 8 and 9. Additionally, Bezboruah will attend a special pre-conference intensive, "The Art of System Leadership", on September 7 conducted by Heather McLeod Grant, co-author of Forces for Good.


Kate Holliday, associate professor of architecture and director of the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture, is the guest lecturer for the Historic Fort Worth 2016 Cantey Lecture and Preservation Awards on September 22 at 6:30 pm. Holliday will present "Flying Saucers, Catwalks, and Craters: A History of the Future in Fort Worth." 


Richard Cole, a professor in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, examined the realities of a Texas secession in a special to the Star-Telegram. Besides losing federal funding and governmental protections, Cole also writes, "if not part of America, how could the Dallas Cowboys claim the title of 'America’s Team?'"


David Hopman, associate professor of landscape architecture, wrote about the maintenance decisions that can have a profound effect on the range of plants useful for an aesthetically qualified urban polyculture for The Field, the American Society of Landscape Architects professional practice networks' blog.


KXAS NBC 5 reported on UTA’s effort to study the area around Dallas Executive Airport. The study, led by Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and an assistant professor of planning, intends to understand how the economic impact will help or hurt the area.


Ivonne Audirac, program director of the planning program and associate professor of planning, has been selected as a Faculty Fellow in UTA’s Service Learning Program for the 2016-7 academic year. The program provides faculty with a year-long service-learning mentoring experience. Fellows are required to implement service learning into their curricula; submit a local, state, or national presentation; and work toward creating a manuscript for publication on the pedagogy of service learning.


July 2016

Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in practice of architecture, interviewed Peter Weller for the Summer 2016 issue of AIA Dallas Columns. "Dr. Peter Weller: The Man Behind RoboCop" examines the work of the award winning actor and scholar, arguably best known for his portrayal of the title character in the 1986 film "Robocop." Filmed on location in Dallas for its sleek and modern architecture, Robocop's story was actually set in a futuristic vision of Detroit.


David Hopman, associate professor and interim program director of landscape architecture, will serve as co-principal investigator for an interdisciplinary research project titled “GREEN STEAM: Using Principles of Design to Power the Development of Outdoor Educational Spaces.” The project has been selected for funding by UTA’s Office of the President as part of its Interdisciplinary Research Program to promote collaboration at UTA across academic units.


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, co-authored the article, “The Cost and Affordability Paradox of Transit-Oriented Development: A Comparison of Housing and Transportation Costs Across Transit-Oriented Development, Hybrid and Transit-Adjacent Development Station Typologies” with researchers from Florida Atlantic University, University of New Orleans and University of Utah. The article was published in the July 2016 issue of the Journal of Housing Policy Debate.


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, is launching Dallas’ first-ever walkability study, covering 66 intersections and 186 street segments in the city’s downtown core, Next City reported.


KRLD 1080 AM interviewed Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, about the institute's new project to analyze the walkability of downtown Dallas. “We are covering every street, segment and intersection in the downtown Dallas area,” Hamidi said. MSN audio also aired the KRLD segment.


June 2016

A modern farmhouse in Dallas designed by Todd Hamilton, professor of architecture, and Sidebar Collective was showcased in the current issue of Dwell. The house was featured in the 2015 AIA Dallas Fall Home Tour.


NPR Dallas station, KERA/90.1 FM, noted the Fort Worth Community Arts Center exhibition, “12 Houses,” which features residences built by the architecture alumni and faculty of UTA’s College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.


Alejandro Rodriguez, associate professor of public affairs, co-authored the article "Conceptualizing Leadership Psychosis: the Department of Veteran Affairs Scandal" with Dr. Alvin Brown, a graduate of our Public and Urban Administration program. The article was published in International Journal of Public Leadership, Vol. 12.


Douglas Klahr, associate dean and associate professor of architecture, authored the article "Traveling via Rome through the Stereoscope: Reality, Memory, and Virtual Travel" in Architectural Histories, 4(1): 8.


As David Hopman, associate professor of landscape architecture, nears completion of an on-campus demonstration of polyculture landscaping, the national ASLA has published the seventh of a series of Professor Hopman's articles about polyculture planting. 


May 2016

buckley keynote

Michael P. Buckley served as keynote speaker for the opening sessions of the 2016 Mortgage Bankers Association Dallas Conference. Buckley explored scenarios for re-purposing vacant or underutilized land within the urban cores of Dallas / Ft. Worth metropolitan areas. He also shared insights into corporate sponsorship of urban mixed-use development, as well as research initiatives of UTA’s Center for Metropolitan Density (CfMD), including the importance of strategic industry clusters, impact of swiftly-changing demographics, and benefits in new tax increment finance from high density urban development.  


The Star-Telegram published an opinion-editorial by Richard Cole, professor of public affairs, suggesting that states be given a first chance to address the transgender bathroom debate on their own.


Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, authored the article “Social Value of Urban Landscapes: Performance Study Lessons from Two Iconic Texas Projects” in Landscape Architecture Frontiers – LAF, 4(2).


Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, co-authored the article “Adopting Soundscape Technology to Assess Urban Landscape Performance” with UPPP PhD student Yalcin Yildirim for the May 2016 issue of Journal of Digital Landscape Architectural.


Mark Lamster, the award-winning architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News and a professor in practice of architecture at the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, has been awarded a Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.


Colleen Casey, an associate professor of public affairs, emphasized the link between community-based organizations and economic opportunity during a radio panel discussion on income inequality, KCPW.org reported. The Hinckley Institute Radio Hour on KCPW 105.5 FM (Salt Lake City, Utah) hosted the panel.


David Coursey, associate professor of public affairs, was elected Chair-Elect for the UTA Faculty Senate at its last meeting of the 2015-16 Academic Year. The Faculty Senate acts as the primary faculty representative to university governing authorities, and formulates policy and enacts legislation on all matters pertaining to the professional concerns, duties, standards, ethics, responsibilities, privileges, and perquisites of the UTA faculty.


David Coursey, associate professor of public affairs, was invited to present a May 5 seminar and workshop focusing on the creation and management of online programs for the Department of Government at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.


Citybizlist Philadelphia noted that Donald F. Gatzke, AIA, of ULI North Texas, a professor and past dean of the School of Architecture at UTA, is among 15 finalists for Philadelphia’s third annual Willard G. Rouse III Awards for Excellence. Gatzke is a frequent guest critic at architecture schools, has juried professional awards programs, and serves on the board of Vision North Texas, which has developed a plan for sustainable growth over the next 40 years. 


David Hopman, associate professor of landscape architecture, has been selected as one of 14 experts nationwide to write the first exam for The Sustainable Sites Initiative as part of the development of a new professional credential called the SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) currently underway at Green Business Certification, Inc.


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, collaborated with Reid Ewing and Guang Tian of the University of Utah, Rachel Weinberger and Kevin Shively of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, and Preston Stinger of Fehr & Peers Associates on the article “Trip and parking generation at transit-oriented developments: a case study of Redmond TOD, Seattle region” published in the journal Transportation


Alejandro Rodriguez, a visiting professor of architecture, was published by the International Journal of Public Leadership. The article, "Conceptualizing leadership psychosis: the Department of Veteran Affairs Scandal," was co-written by Dr. Alvin Brown, a graduate of our Public and Urban Administration Program.


Maria Martinez-Cosio, associate professor at UTA’s Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, are participating in a Dallas Architecture Forum panel discussion on “Economics and Architecture”, ArchDaily.com reported. 


In the Streetsblog USA (May 5, 2016) podcastShima Hamidi, Assistant Professor of Planning, with John Renne of Florida Atlantic University and Reid Ewing of the University of Utah, discuss their new article in Housing Policy Debate, titled “How Affordable Is HUD Affordable Housing?” The article focuses on the relationship between transportation costs and affordable housing costs.


Nan Ellin, dean of CAPPA, was named as a juror in the international ideas competition for President Obama’s Presidential Center in Chicago, Best Events U.S. reported. 


April 2016

On Friday April 8, 2016, the Institute of Urban Studies hosted 20 planning and governmental officials from around the world as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S Department of State.


Shima Hamidi and PhD students Ahoura Zandiatashbar, Priscylla Bento, and Myriam Igoufe gave brief presentations about current research on housing affordability and reimagining and reinvigorating Fair Park, followed by a panel discussion with Ivonne Audirac, Colleen Casey, Baranda Fermin, and Patricia Ward of the Tarrant County Community Development Division.


"TWELVE Houses", a selection of uniquely tailored residential designs by alumni and faculty of The University of Texas at Arlington were showcased through April 16, 2016  in an exhibit at NorthPark Center in Dallas. The exhibit and accompanying catalogue were curated by longtime UTA architecture professor Todd Hamilton and is part of the American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter’s 16th Annual Retrospect Graphic Competition. 


Karabi Bezboruah, associate professor of public affairs, participated in two panel discussions focused on board leadership issues at the 2016 ATHENA Awards for Leadership in Sherman, TX. The program was sponsored by United Way of Grayson County, Austin College's Center for Community & Regional Development, and Texoma Women Get Connected.


Don Gatzke, professor of architecture, and Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, participated in a panel session with BC Workshop founder Brent Brown, AIA, and Lyndsay Mitchell, AICP, planning manager with the City of Arlington, at the American Society of Landscape Architects Texas Chapter 2016 Conference in April. “CONNECT: Community Outreach and Partnership By Design” focused on some of the major community outreach design, planning and/or implementation projects undertaken by the panelists.


In the chapter written for the new book, In Paper Cities: Urban Portraits in Photographic Books, Douglas Klahr, associate professor of architecture, examines the use of stereoscopic photobooks as a precursor to virtual reality and how a murderous regime used it for propaganda. The chapter, “Nazi Stereoscopic Photobooks of Vienna and Prague: Geopolitical Propaganda Collides with a Distinctive Visual Medium,” is an extension of Dr. Klahr's recent research of general photography and stereoscopic photography of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a focus upon buildings and cities.


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, collaborated with Amir Hajrasouliha, assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University, on the article “The typology of the American metropolis: monocentricity, polycentricity, or generalized dispersion?” published in the journal Urban Geography


Shima Hamidi, director of the Institute of Urban Studies and assistant professor of planning, was featured in the Spring 2016 issue of NTX Magazine, a publication of the North Texas Commission. The article, on page 34 of the publication, highlights the Grand Prairie Bike Plan recently completed by the Institute.


Three CAPPA faculty members were awarded UTA Faculty Senate Travel Awards this semester. Kate HollidayDouglas Klahr, and Yekang Ko each received a $500 travel grant. This was the inaugural award from this grant program. 

Ricardo Munoz, lecturer of architecture, received two Critic's Choice awards at the AIA Dallas 2016 Unbuilt Design Awards on April 28. Munoz's firm RCRD won the Critic's Choice First Place for the Light Basin project, and Third Place for the Element House project. 


Yekang Ko, assistant professor of planning, was recognized as a recipient of the 2016 Professor of the Year award by the Arlington Sunrise Rotary Club. The award recognizes outstanding faculty across UTA's schools and colleges.


Bang Dang, visiting lecturer in architecture, participated in an interview about the youth of the city in the spring issue of Columns.


The Star-Telegram published an opinion-editorial by Richard Cole, former professor of public affairs, suggesting that Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' plan to address income inequality will not work in Texas.


Pat Taylor, professor and program director for Landscape Architecture in the UTA College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs, was named one of 28 American Society of Landscape Architects members elevated to the ASLA Council of Fellows for 2016, Total Landscape Care reported. Fellowship is among the highest honors the organization awards its members, recognizing the contributions their work has made to the profession and society at large.


Mark Lamster, associate professor in practice of architecture, discussed Dallas residential design and construction on KERA 90.1 FM's Think talk show Wednesday. Host Krys Boyd moderated the discussion with Lamster and Eric Nicholson of the Dallas Observer about "The Look of Dallas Living." Lamster is also architecture critic for The Dallas Morning News.


In a newly published article, Colleen Casey, associate professor of public affairs, examines the characteristics of nonprofit organizations that negotiated agreements with lenders to address community reinvestment issues during the last economic recession.  Her research indicates that nonprofits with greater capacity, located in areas of high economic need and with organizational missions related to community and social change are more likely to negotiate with lenders to develop programs to foster economic stability in low-income and minority communities. "Nonprofit organizations in governance arrangements: Adding democratic value to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Agreements?" is available in Public Integrity, 18(3).


The DFW Branch Waters Network, a concept developed by Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in practice, and the Kevin Sloan Studio to restructure density patterns with nature, is featured in the April edition of Landscape Architecture Magazine. "Make No Plans"  explains how the Branch Waters Network uncovers the linkages that already exist in the 400-plus-mile system of the watershed network.  The natural attraction they offer, reinforced by the 100-year old lesson of Turtle Creek, offers the potential to restructure existing and future density patterns.  


March 2016

Taner Ozdil, associate professor of landscape architecture, participated in three presentations at the the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA 2016) academic conference in Salt Lake City in March. Ozdil presented "Looking into the Future: Ten Year Review of Academic Job Openings in Landscape Architecture in US.” Also, Ozdil co-presented with UPPP PhD student Yalcon Yildirim, “Urban Soundscape: Learning from the Sounds of Klyde Warren Park, Dallas.” Finally, he participated in a panel presentation “Looking Beyond Case Studies in Social Performance Research: Replicable Surveys and Generalizable Outcomes.”


A modern farmhouse designed by R. Todd Hamilton, professor of architecture, and architecture partner Sidebar Collective was showcased on Builder Online. The home was also part of the AIA Dallas Fall 2015 Home Tour.


Colleen Casey, associate professor of public affairs, participated in a March 31 panel discussion as part of a conference hosted by the Scholars Strategy Network Utah Chapter.  The panel topic centered on income inequality in Utah and Beyond.  Dr. Casey’s participation stems from her research examining the role community-based organizations play in making policy and programs work more effectively in low-income and minority communities. 


Kevin Sloan, assistant professor in practice of architecture, was recognized by AIA Dallas with an honorary membership at the 2016 Celebrate Architecture event on March 23.


FAB-LAB, an architectural concept designed by CAPPA visiting professor of architecture Alejandro Borges, was selected to be included in the 2016 Bienal Ibero-Americana international exhibition, an initiative of the government of Spain to promote, discuss and project architecture and urbanism from the Americas, Spain and Portugal. The 194 projects selected among more than 1,100 entries will be exhibited in Sao Paolo, Brasil in July. See images of Borges' FAB-LAB concept in Arch Daily, Mexico edition.