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

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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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Liz mueller sits in a chair next to a young child

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Congratulations to Architecture graduate student Luis Rodriguez for earning Honorable Mention in the 2026 ACSA Concrete Masonry Competition!
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On September 9, UT School of Architecture Dean Heather Woofter (@heatherwoofter) and Architecture & Urban Design Program Director at Kent State University Sung Ho Kim present “Invisible Practice.”
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Exploring Unfinished Edges in Australia 🇦🇺
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Beginning August 28, architect and urbanist @studiopaolavigano's exhibition, "THE BIOPOLITICAL GARDEN" is on display. Paola Viganò will present a virtual opening talk on September 3.
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There’s even more to look forward to on Monday 👀

Battle Hall and the John S. Chase Architecture and Planning Library are BACK open to students this semester! Stay tuned for more exciting details to come.
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Community and Regional Planning Associate Professor Alex Karner (@dr_karner) and Professor Emeritus Elizabeth Mueller will classify neighborhood types in Austin and evaluate their specific needs.

➡️Swipe through to learn more! Head to our website for the complete article (link in bio)
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Wood Design: Summer 2026 🪵
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On display: INDEX.

Showcasing student work from the 2025-2026 academic year, INDEX. creates a calm, embodied environment that activates architecture and grounds our abstractions and creations in reality.
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Studies in Asia 🇯🇵🇰🇷