Dr. Francesco Cianfarani, assistant professor of architecture at the OU Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, is part of the 2025 cohort for the Academy for Public Scholarship on the Built Environment. The theme of this year’s cohort is housing equity. The program offers participants coaching on how to extend their scholarship beyond academics and influence both conversation and policies in housing.
Dr. Cianfarani’s research encompasses elements of architecture and urban design, with an emphasis on housing. He has investigated housing through field research, mapping, design proposals, and critical studies. His research include infill initiatives in Oklahoma City and the development of a housing database to identify gaps in affordable housing, produced for the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.
For more information about the program, view the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture press release.
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.
