Center for Sustainable Development

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) was founded in 2001 as a space for complementary programs of research, education, and community outreach. Faculty research interests represent diverse interests to develop creative, balanced, achievable solutions to the physical and social challenges facing the planning, construction, and preservation of buildings, neighborhoods, and regions. To this end, the CSD team supports School of Architecture faculty in all aspects of their research, from proposal development and budgeting to -post-award coordination in an effort to provide comprehensive sponsored research support for UTSOA faculty.

STAFF

Allan W. Shearer

Professor

Associate Dean for Research and Technology

Assistant Program Director for Landscape Architecture

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Sarah Slovak Wu

Assistant Director of Research

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2022-2023 SNELL FELLOWS

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR SNELL FELLOWS

Ming Zhang

Professor

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Alex Karner

Associate Professor

Program Director for Community & Regional Planning Ph.D.

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LOCATION + CONTACT

West Mall Building (WMB) 6.102
University of Texas at Austin
csd@austin.utexas.edu

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Click for project details.

Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood with rows of houses, tree-lined streets, and patches of greenery, showing an organized residential area with various roof shapes and colors.

Architectural rendering of a modern building with white walls and large glass windows surrounds a courtyard featuring a large tree, landscaped greenery, a curved walkway, and a circular planter.

Aerial view of a cityscape featuring intersecting highways, commercial buildings, parking lots, and densely packed residential houses with grid-patterned streets.

In this black and white historic photo, a group of people, some holding cameras and audio equipment, stand near a leafy bush inside a building hallway with an arched doorway and ornate woodwork in the background.

A woman presents a research poster to a man at a conference. She gestures toward the poster, which displays graphs, text, and images. Both wear conference badges. The setting is an indoor conference space with carpeted floors.

Aerial view of a city showing streets and buildings with a red dashed circle highlighting a specific area near a river. The image is labeled UT Center for Sustainable Development at the bottom.

Map of the Houston metro area showing social vulnerability by census tract, shaded from light to dark blue, with darker areas indicating higher vulnerability; water bodies and rivers are marked in light blue.

A detailed black-and-white sketch of a hillside with multiple rectangular stone buildings, scattered vegetation, and a row of cars parked along a road in the foreground. One building in the middle is circled.

A group of nine people, some wearing masks, stand and smile outdoors in front of a building, posing with a small four-wheeled robot on a sidewalk. Trees and greenery are visible in the background.

Map of Texas showing major cities (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin), rivers, highways, and neighboring states and Mexico. Includes an inset map showing Texass location within the USA and North America.

Collage of two construction workers in safety gear examining plans in the foreground, while three workers are silhouetted on a job site. A city skyline with modern and historic buildings is visible in the background.

CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NEWS

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A group of people sit around a large conference table in a wood-paneled room, engaging in discussion. Laptops, papers, and coffee mugs are on the table. Portraits hang on the walls and a clock is visible in the background.

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Finding and making instruments of care for Puerto Rico 🇵🇷
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Introducing the next generation of architects, designers and planners.🤘 Congratulations to UTSOA Class of 2026! We can't wait to see what you do next. 🎓

📸 : @ticomendoza
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Not a goodbye, just a see you later. 👋 🎓Commencement is TODAY! Let's make this the perfect ending to your chapter as students.

Details:
• Hogg Memorial Auditorium (2300 Whitis Ave.) (Doors open at 1 pm!)
• 2:00 PM (CDT)
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Celebrating 50 Years ✨ Congratulations to Professors Michael Garrison and Larry Speck for celebrating 50 years with us here at the School of Architecture.
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Hello from Copenhagen 👋

Architecture student Isabella Main traveled from UT Austin to Copenhagen, Denmark to work with @adeptarchitects as part of @utsoaprp.
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In 1975, Dean Charles Burnette made four significant hires: Michael Benedikt, Larry Doll, Michael Garrison and Larry Speck. To celebrate their 50th work anniversary, we interviewed Larry Speck and Michael Garrison.
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You did it! Congratulations to our students on successful Final Reviews. 👏
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The countdown is ON! On Saturday, May 9, we celebrate our students at commencement. We are *so proud* of your hard work and dedication. We can't wait to see you walk the stage! 🥹
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On Friday, May 1, we invite you to attend the 2026 End Of Year Show, INDEX. The exhibition is designed by Jeremy Atticus Smith (M.Arch) and Evan Altenburg (M.Arch). The event features a student awards portion as well.