Francesco Cianfarani is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. He previously taught at Sapienza University of Rome, where he earned his PhD in Architectural and Urban Design.
His research operates at the intersection of architecture and urban design, with a focus on housing. His work combines field research, spatial analysis and mapping, research through design, and critical inquiry to investigate how housing shapes and is shaped by urban form. His scholarship has appeared in journals including Enquiry, Urban Planning, Urban Science, The Plan Journal, and Future Anterior.
At OU, Cianfarani serves as Principal Investigator of the Oklahoma State Housing Needs Assessment, an initiative supported by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. His current research also examines infill and low-rise housing strategies in Oklahoma City. Beyond housing, he collaborates with public agencies, community organizations, and civic partners across the state, including Gathering Place in Tulsa, where he recently led a study of access, mobility, and connections with surrounding neighborhoods.
His teaching spans architectural and urban design studios, urban design methods, and housing-focused courses, emphasizing the integration of observation, design, and representation across multiple scales.
2025 |
Mishima, H., and F. Cianfarani (corresponding author), “From School to Housing: A Typological Analysis for the Adaptive Reuse of Historic Public Schools in Oklahoma City, USA.” Enquiry: The ARCC Journal for Architectural Research, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 1-24. https://doi.org/10.17831/enqarcc.v22i2.1254 |
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2024 |
Cianfarani, F., S. Schaefer, and K. Mutukundu, “Identifying the Affordable Housing Shortage. A Study for Oklahoma.” Urban Planning, 9, pp. 1–21. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.8636 |
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2023 |
Cianfarani, F., M. Abdelkarim, D. Richards, and R. Kedarisetty, “Assessing the Urban Vacant Land Potential for Infill Housing: A Case Study in Oklahoma City, USA.” Urban Science, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci7040101 |
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2022 |
Cianfarani, F., “Central State Infill: Middle Housing Solutions in Oklahoma City, USA.” The Plan Journal TPJ, The Right to Housing, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 1–22. https://doi.org/10.15274/tpj.2022.07.02.02 |
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2021 |
Cianfarani, F., and M. Morganti, “Preservation Themes in Mass Housing’s Retrofit. Climate and Energy in Tor Bella Monaca, Rome.” Future Anterior: Journal of Historic Preservation History, Theory, and Criticism, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 20–38. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.ou.edu/10.2307/48770642 |
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2020 |
Cianfarani, F., “The Fascist Legacy in the Built Environment,” in The Routledge Companion to Italian Fascist Architecture: Reception and Legacy, K. B. Jones and S. Pilat, eds. Routledge, pp. 10–53. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429328435-2 |
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2020 |
Cianfarani, F., “The Legacy of the Official Borgate. Design, Reception and Current Life of the Quarticciolo Neighborhood,” in The Routledge Companion to Italian Fascist Architecture: Reception and Legacy, K.B. Jones and S. Pilat, eds. Routledge, pp. 241–255. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429328435-22 |
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2014 |
International Competition: MH17 Memorial and Park, promoted by Matterbetter. With Arch. T. Proietti. Top 50. Selected for the 2nd phase. |
2011 |
National Competition: Un guscio per vivere in sicurezza e in armonia, promoted by Poliespanso s.r.l. in Mantua. With Arch. L. Arcangeli, Arch. M. Ekstrom, Arch. T. Proietti. 2nd Prize. |
2011 |
International Competition: A Monument to the Memory of Holocaust Victims, organized by the Municipality of Naples, “Assessorato alla Memoria della Città IX Direzione Politiche Culturali Sportive e del Tempo Libero”. With Arch. L. Arcangeli, Arch. T. Proietti. 3rd Prize. |
2026 |
Building Code Variation and Permitting for Modular Housing: Comparative Analysis of State Regulatory Frameworks Grant supported by the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, Spring 2026–Fall 2026, with Somik Ghosh, Suchismita Bhattacharjee, and Ben Bigelow. Co-PI. Funding: $34,294. |
2023 |
Oklahoma State Housing Needs Assessment Grant supported by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), Spring 2023–Spring 2027, with Shawn Schaefer, Ronald Barnes, Shane Hampton, and Joseph Havlicek. Co-PI, 2023–2025; PI, 2025–Present. Funding: $925,487. |
2025 |
OU ICAST Seed Grant Research proposal: Bridging Edges: Reconnecting Maple Ridge and Gathering Place in Tulsa, with OU Faculty Ronald Barnes and Joseph Havlicek. PI. Funding: $19,500. |
2025 |
Gibbs Faculty Fellowship Research proposal: Housing Center at Gibbs College of Architecture (GCA) Funding: $5,000 per fiscal year; $15,000 total. |
2024 |
OU Junior Faculty Fellowship (JFF) Program Research proposal: Design Guidelines for Affordable Infill Housing in Stockyards City, Oklahoma City. PI. Funding: $8,825. |
2024 |
Urban Design Fellow, Gibbs Enrichment Fund Two-year Urban Design Studio Fellowship, OU Tulsa-Campus, OK. Funding: $4,000. |
2025 |
Bullard, T., and F. Cianfarani, “Prototyping Urban Infill: Enhancing Iterative Design in Undergraduate Housing Studios,” paper presented at the 2025 40th National Conference Beginning Design Student, Raleigh, NC, March 1, 2025. |
2023 |
Cianfarani, F., and M. Abdelkarim, “Low-impact infill for Oklahoma City: an incremental approach for integrating stormwater management to low-rise housing solutions,” paper presented at the ASCE EWRI Low Impact Development Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, August 6, 2023. |
2025 |
Cianfarani, F., “Introducing the Oklahoma Housing Needs Assessment,” 2024/2025 Regional Housing Forum on Housing Supply and Demand, Housing for Communities, Ardmore, OK, February 26, 2025. Invited panelist. |
2024 |
Schaefer, S., and F. Cianfarani, “The state of housing in Oklahoma,” Interim Study on Housing Supply and Demand, Senate of the State of Oklahoma, State Capitol, Oklahoma City, OK, October 3, 2024. Testimony. |
2024 |
Schaefer, S., and F. Cianfarani, “Introducing the Oklahoma Housing Needs Assessment,” 2024 Oklahoma Housing Conference, Oklahoma Coalition for Affordable Housing, Midwest City, OK, September 24, 2024. Invited panelist. |
2023 |
Cianfarani, F., “Panel on the State of Housing Supply in Oklahoma,” 2023 Academy Town Hall Conference addressing Oklahoma Housing: Affordable, Accessible, Attainable, The Oklahoma Academy, Tulsa, OK, October 29, 2023. Invited panelist. |
2022 |
Cianfarani, F., “Urban Growth and Housing Models for Climate Migration Scenarios,” Resilient Futures, Gibbs College of Architecture, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Invited panelist. |
2021 |
Aidoo, F.S., D. Barber, J. Siry, M. Morganti, S. Ross, J. Morris, J. Y. S. Kei, P. Jain, K. Woolner-Pratt, and F. Cianfarani; “Retrofitting Research: A Global Conversation on Challenges and Opportunities,” Columbia University, online, February 18, 2021. Published in Future Anterior, vol. 18, no. 1 (Summer 2021), pp. 117–146. Invited Roundtable Discussion. |
