The Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) project partners recently won nearly $150,000 in funding from the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) to enhance public spaces and walkability. The City of Pryor Creek and Town of Luther both received funding, which will go to streetscape and park improvements identified in IQC workshops in 2019 and 2020.
Both IQC projects were made possible in part by sponsorship from the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML), an annual partner of IQC. OML supports IQC’s Community Request for Proposals, which invited Oklahoma towns and cities to submit projects.
A section of the City of Pryor Plan.
The City of Pryor Creek will receive $102,000 to improve walkability, wayfinding, accessibility, and safe crosswalks. These streetscape improvements are related to an IQC design workshop in March of 2020, conducted in partnership with Pryor Main Street, the Mayes County HOPE Coalition, and City of Pryor.
Part of the Town of Luther plan.
The Town of Luther will receive $36,000 to carry out improvements at Wild Horse Park. IQC developed a conceptual plan for the park in partnership with the Town of Luther Parks Commission and Friends of the Park, during a Fall 2019 community engagement and design process.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
