Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, an assistant professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD), has published an Open Access textbook titled Green Cities and Transportation in collaboration with scholars from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). This comprehensive guide explores the intersection of urban planning and transportation to advance sustainable mobility, mitigate climate change, and promote transportation equity for low-income communities. It offers innovative strategies and case studies that highlight practical solutions from cities in the Global North and South, such as Bus Rapid Transit systems in Curitiba, Brazil, and congestion charging in London.
This book serves as a multidisciplinary resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers. As part of the six-volume OERTransport initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Open Textbooks Pilot grant, it reflects a groundbreaking effort to provide high-quality, open educational resources for advancing transportation planning. The textbook delves into topics ranging from transportation equity and justice to greenhouse gas emissions, presenting actionable insights for addressing the climate crisis while prioritizing social equity. By fostering cross-disciplinary conversations, the book equips readers to bridge gaps between theory and practice in creating more inclusive, sustainable cities.
Designed specifically for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, Green Cities and Transportation offers tools and frameworks for addressing pressing challenges in transportation planning. By leveraging the expertise of contributors and insights from real-world case studies, the book inspires future planners to create resilient and equitable urban systems.
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.