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.
POCIG’s mission centers on fostering visibility, support, and opportunities for scholars and communities whose experiences have historically been overlooked within planning academia and the profession. In her new leadership role, Dr. Mozaffarian will help guide national conversations that broaden participation, elevate diverse perspectives, and strengthen pathways for students and faculty across the country.
This appointment highlights Dr. Mozaffarian’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that planning research and education reflect the full range of voices shaping our communities. It also positions the University of Oklahoma as an active contributor to shaping the direction and values of the planning field at the national level.
Logo for the Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG).
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
