A collaborative project between the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency was recently featured in The Oklahoman. A team of OU researchers are currently redesigning the Oklahoma Housing Needs Assessment (OHNA), an online source of detailed information about Oklahoma’s 77 counties. The project is led by Shawn Schaefer and Francesco Cianfarani from the Gibbs College of Architecture, as well as Ron Barnes and Joe Havlicek from the Gallogly School of Engineering.
The OHNA was first launched in 2016 and has been a key resource for affordable housing developers across the state. The site provides detailed information about household compositions, populations and subpopulations and disaster readiness and preparation. As explained by Holley Mangham from the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, this data helps developers and non-profit organizations determine the type of housing that is needed and where this housing is needed the most. However, after seven years, the site is in urgent need of an update.
Rather than a collection of 77 separate reports, the new-and-improved assessment will be “a tool for you to find data,” said Schaefer. The updated site will allow users to search maps, tables and other presentations of data to easily find what they want, including individual affordable housing projects. Additionally, the website will be updated periodically to provide users with accurate information.
The new site is set to launch in summer 2024 and will be maintained and enhanced by the research and development team at OU.
Read the full article in The Oklahoman.
Featured Image: Schaefer presenting at the recent Commercial Real Estate Summit.
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.
