Assistant profs. Sarah Little (Landscape Architecture) and John Harris (Regional and City Planning) recently published in the peer reviewed journal Urban Forum. The article uses maps drawn by youth living in Lusaka, Zambia’s informal settlements to better understand how those youth understand their environment. The analysis suggests that there are several social-spatial anchors of hope in the city’s informal settlements that simultaneously orient youth’s day-to-day lives and long-term aspirations. These findings suggest that the youth locate hope and despair throughout their settlements in discrete locations and also see hope as a group effort. The findings are also used to make recommendations for how urban managers can use this information to support the hopes of informal settlement youth.
Access their full article, entitled “Mapping Hope: How Do Vulnerable Youth Locate Hope in Informal Settlements?,” here.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
