Lahari Peluri, an alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s Urban Design program and Urban Planner III at Freese and Nichols, presented at the Barcelona Livable Cities Conference 2025, hosted by AMPS Research at La Salle BCN.
Her session, titled “The Human-Centered City Plan: Making Urban Strategies More Inclusive and Visual,” explored a design-forward approach to comprehensive planning that prioritizes empathy, accessibility, and storytelling. By reimagining long-range plans as engaging and community-driven tools, Peluri advocates for planning processes that are not only technically sound but also easy to understand, multilingual, and rooted in lived experiences.
The international conference brought together professionals and researchers from across the globe to discuss the intersection of design, social policy, and urban livability. Peluri’s work contributed to critical conversations around how cities can become more inclusive, equitable, and people-first.
Her participation highlights the global impact of OU’s Urban Design alumni and their growing leadership in shaping the future of urban planning.
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.
