Environmental Design student Anthony Rodriguez recently published an op-ed in the Oklahoma City Free Press. His article, “Changing Attitudes Over Urban Sprawl Have Taken Hold In OKC,” focuses on the need for social interactions during the pandemic and how mixed-used developments can help foster more social interactions.
His op-ed was written as part of a Regional and City Planning course, “Planning with Diverse Communities,” which is taught by Dr. C. Aujean Lee. For this class, Rodriguez conducted a case study about 20th century discriminatory housing practices in New York. During his research, he learned about exclusionary zoning laws that restricted land development to single family homes.
In addition to this case study, he participated in a discussion of Jane Jacob’s The Death and Life of Great American Cities for his Architectural Theory and Criticism class. Rodriguez explained, “It was that assignment, that discussion, and the pandemic that had me think about the effect suburbs had on the social life of the country.” In his Op-Ed, Rodriguez discusses how the pandemic magnified major issues with suburban neighborhoods, including the lack of walkability, communal spaces, and diversity.
According to Rodriguez, “My goal for this op-ed was to express my optimism that cities like OKC are acknowledging that these zoning laws are at least partially responsible for continued racial segregation, missed economic opportunities, and low quality of life. The pandemic presented cities with an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of their residents in the long term. Time will tell if they ultimately took it.”
This was Rodriguez’s first time publishing an article on a professional journalism platform. Read his full Op-Ed in the Oklahoma City Free Press.
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.
