Salma Akter Surma, a Ph.D. candidate at Gibbs College has co-authored a study published in the Journal of Urban Management. The research investigates the experiences of women in urban informal settlements of Khulna, Bangladesh, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on how housing infrastructure influenced caregiving responsibilities.
The study draws on interviews with 24 women community leaders to explore the impact of shared Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, constrained living spaces, and financial challenges on women’s caregiving roles. It details the adaptations these women made, such as reorganizing household spaces for isolation and utilizing community networks to manage caregiving and resource distribution during the pandemic. The findings highlight the role of inadequate housing in exacerbating caregiving challenges and underscore the importance of flexible and resilient infrastructure planning in resource-limited settings.
Additionally, the research examines the unique contributions of women as community leaders, who facilitated resource sharing, managed public health interventions, and addressed vulnerabilities during the crisis. Their efforts were central to navigating pandemic-induced hardships in the settlements.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
