Urban Design News | School of Architecture

URBAN DESIGN NEWS

News and updates from The University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture's Graduate Program in Urban Design.

A man stands on a balcony under a large modern canopy, overlooking a lake with boats docked below and a city with hills in the background.

May Term Travel Opportunities

August 25, 2025

Poster with diagonal magenta lines on a white background, featuring the text Lectures Exhibitions Symposia in the upper left and large bold text UTSOA FALL 2025 at the bottom.

Announcing "Planetary Imaginaries"

August 22, 2025

Sutton Hall, a tan brick building with large arched windows and a blue door, is framed by leafy trees and a lamppost in front. Benches sit on either side of the entrance, with greenery and a sidewalk leading up to it.

2024-2025 Design Excellence Winners

August 15, 2025

A speaker stands at a podium on a stage during a graduation ceremony, with faculty and graduates in academic regalia seated behind him and banners and flags displayed onstage. The audience sits in the dimly lit foreground.

Kotchakorn Voraakhom Urges Graduates to Become the “Compassion Generation”

May 12, 2025

A person stands pointing at architectural plans and renderings displayed on a wall, with detailed building models on a table in the foreground.

Spring 2025 Final Review Guest Critics

April 21, 2025

Five smiling young adults in business attire hold certificates and pose enthusiastically in front of banners for the 2025 Student Planning and Design Competition at an event labeled #NPC25.

UT Students Win 1st Place in APA Planning and Design Competition

April 3, 2025

A contemporary art installation in a gallery features tall brown panels arranged in a circle, yellow placards with text, a central bench made of cardboard tubes, and a digital artwork of a leopard in the background.

Jaguar Lens: Weaving Multispecies Landscapes across the Americas

March 25, 2025

A large audience sits facing a stage where three speakers stand at a podium. Two screens display a green presentation slide with the words INTERSECTIONS and a circular graphic. The event is held in a conference room.

A report from the Intersections Research Conference, where architects and scholars explored issues around housing and policy

February 27, 2025

Text graphic reading “UTSOA Lectures & Exhibitions Spring 2025” in black and white with shadowed, overlapping text effects on a white background.

Spring 2025 Public Programming

January 17, 2025

A man with short dark hair, a beard, and glasses is smiling softly. He is wearing a collared shirt under a dark sweater. The background is blurred, showing indistinct colorful objects.

Meet Visiting Faculty Daniel Escotto

December 3, 2024

A woman presents architectural designs, drawings, and models to a seated audience in a classroom. Architectural models and sketches are displayed on the walls and tables.

Fall 2024 Visiting Reviewers

November 25, 2024

Students walk along a tree-lined campus pathway with a historic building and autumn-colored trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Accepting Applications for Assistant Professor of Environmental Planning

October 18, 2024

An older man with white hair speaks at a microphone outdoors, addressing a smiling crowd gathered in a courtyard with trees and a stone building in the background.

Professor Emeritus Sinclair Black Receives 2024 Vision Award

July 10, 2024

A graphic illustration of a jaguar with black spots standing above a stylized yellow and black map of northern South America and Central America on a yellow and white background.

Graham Foundation Awards Funding for “Jaguar Lens” Exhibition

June 5, 2024

Ornate arched ceiling with blue and gold decorative patterns, zodiac symbols, and three hanging lanterns above a doorway, with sunlight filtering through nearby trees.

2023-2024 Design Excellence Winners

May 21, 2024

A speaker at a podium addresses graduates in caps and gowns seated in the audience, while faculty members in academic regalia sit onstage under colorful banners during a graduation ceremony.

Congratulations to the Class of 2024

May 13, 2024

A woman stands and points at architectural drawings on a wall, presenting to a seated group of people in a bright classroom with arched windows. Several white models are on a table nearby.

Spring 2024 Visiting Reviewers

April 16, 2024

Multidisciplinary Team Advances to ULI Competition Finals

February 22, 2024

A collage of three images: a smiling woman with long blonde hair wearing a black blazer, a man in a grey shirt and dark blazer, and a man and woman standing together in front of a bookshelf, both wearing dark jackets.

Spring 2024 Visiting Faculty

February 8, 2024

Map showing the Jaguar Corridor in Central America, with cities, farms, wild areas, and shared lands marked. Cities are sized by population, and the corridor connects habitat areas across the region. Inset map shows the area in context.

Mapping the Jaguar Corridor: A Radiography of Urbanization

November 20, 2023

A person with short dark hair, round blue glasses, and a wide smile wears a gray blazer, white shirt, and a gold necklace, standing outdoors with a blurred cityscape in the background.

Alum Profile: Tatum Lau

November 20, 2023

Black and white engraving of a canal lined with trees and buildings. A person stands on a small boat, pushing it with a pole. Other figures are seen by the waters edge. The caption reads, Street scene in San Antonio.

Water in Cities

November 20, 2023

Meet Liang Wang, Assistant Professor of Urban Design

November 16, 2023

Green abstract geometric shapes form a patterned background with bold black text overlaid, reading Radical Middle Grounds.

Symposium Explores Transformative Potential of Medium-Density Housing

October 11, 2023

A vibrant city skyline featuring modern high-rise buildings, a river with a bridge, and lush green trees under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Austin supertalls "not really dealing with the problems" of the city

October 6, 2023

Q&A with Assistant Professor Martin Hättasch

September 28, 2023

A large building with intricate colorful murals, known as the Central Library at UNAM in Mexico City, stands beside a green lawn and a white “+unam” sign under a partly cloudy sky.

Exploring the Architecture of the Americas at FILUNI 2023

August 21, 2023

A split image shows four people posed side by side, each smiling. From left to right: a young man with short hair, a woman with light hair, a man with a beard, and a man wearing glasses with his arms crossed.

New and Visiting Faculty Join UTSOA

August 10, 2023

A group of people gathers around a table looking at a model or display. Some are observing intently, while others take photos with their phones. The setting appears to be indoors, possibly an office or classroom.

Q&A with Professor Dean Almy

March 31, 2023

A woman with long, wavy hair wearing a white button-up shirt stands in front of a bright yellow door, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Meet Juana Salcedo, Assistant Professor of Practice

February 22, 2023

A group of young adults at a career fair talk to recruiters at tables, handing out résumés and holding folders. The room is busy with several conversations happening simultaneously.

What Starts Here: Highlights from Career Fair

February 10, 2023

Rendering of a modern multi-story building with rooftop gardens overlooks a large green lawn where many people are walking, playing, and relaxing. Trees, seating areas, and murals enhance the lively public space.

UT Austin team wins the 2022 ULI Gerald Hines Student Competition with an urban development plan for Oakland

April 15, 2022

A group of five people smile and pose for a selfie outdoors, making hand signs. The person in front wears a suit and red tie, while others are casually dressed. An overpass and clear sky are visible in the background.

Students Win National Urban Design Competition

April 11, 2022

Architectural site plan showing buildings, green spaces, roads, and pathways, with numbered labels corresponding to a legend detailing different site features along the left side. The map includes landscaping and surrounding city blocks.

Student Team Advances to ULI Competition Finals

February 23, 2022

Aerial view of a suburban neighborhood with rows of houses, tree-lined streets, and scattered greenery. The rooftops vary in color and shape, and the scene is densely packed with homes and foliage.

My Home is Here – Harris County’s Housing Needs Assessment and 10-Year Strategy

October 19, 2021

A group of people sit around a conference table with food, watching a man speaking on a large video call screen at the front of a wood-paneled meeting room.

Q&A with 2021 Design Futures Forum Student Participants

July 26, 2021

A black and white photo of a large building in a city, featuring a prominent North Korean flag and Korean writing on its roof, with a river and more buildings in the background.

MSUD Alumna Publishes “A 21st-Century Socialist Country” Based on Her Master’s Thesis

March 19, 2021

Several identical magazines with bold black and blue text and small photo thumbnails on the covers are fanned out on a rough stone surface, with dry leaves scattered around.

2020–2021 Issue of PLATFORM Explores the Role of Urban Design in Addressing Complex, Twenty-First Century Challenges

December 7, 2020

A satellite view of a small town with a red dashed line forming a square around the central area. Roads, buildings, trees, and a river are visible in and around the marked zone. The town is labeled Menard.

Student Team Wins Second Place in First Annual IC2 Student Challenge

April 16, 2020

Two people wearing safety goggles monitor two large orange robotic arms working on an object in a workshop. Tools, notebooks, and supplies are scattered on a table in the foreground.

Four UTSOA Degree Programs Now STEM Designated

April 10, 2020

An architectural rendering of an urban park features walking paths, green spaces, palm trees, water features, and surrounding modern buildings in a cityscape.

Two Student Teams Awarded ULI Hines Competition Honorable Mention

April 7, 2020

A person with blonde hair wearing glasses on their head, a colorful striped scarf, a black top, and a watch, stands outdoors and smiles at the camera on a sunny day.

Visiting Landscape Architecture Professor: Gina Ford

April 1, 2020

Event poster for The Climate of Urban Design symposium shows a large group of people on a bridge at sunset with birds flying overhead. Event details, date (Feb 28, 2020), and logos are at the bottom.

The Graduate Program in Urban Design Hosts RUDC's The Climate of Urban Design Symposium, February 28

February 6, 2020

Five professionally dressed people stand in a row indoors, smiling at the camera with conference name tags, in front of a glass wall and office setting.

Interdisciplinary Student Teams Present Urban Design Solutions for Cincinnati in National ULI Hines Competition Finals

March 19, 2019

A smiling older man with white hair and a beard is pictured indoors on the left, while on the right, a group of people gather and sit outside in a sunny, tree-lined urban area.

Major Gift from Professor Emeritus Sinclair Black Will Position School as Leader in Urban Design

March 13, 2019

A woman with straight hair stands indoors, looking at the camera. Next to her is a quote about diversity from Magdalena Nova, Ph.D. candidate, discussing respect, dialogue, and equal distribution of power.

Magdalena Novoa, Student

March 1, 2019

A grayscale aerial map of a city with a river running through it. A section in the lower center-right is highlighted by a red dotted circle. Text at the bottom credits the Center for Sustainable Development.

Convention Center Space-making and Downtown Place-Making: The Physical and Economic Planning Implications of Alternative Convention Center Scenarios

March 1, 2019

A group of people sit around a large, U-shaped conference table in a bright office meeting room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a cityscape. Some participants are smiling and engaging in discussion.

CSD Helps Mayors Understand Role in Urban Design and Community Building

January 8, 2019

A man in a white thobe and headscarf stands in front of an orange wall with small square windows, looking to his left with his hands behind his back.

Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Khaled Alawadi

June 18, 2018

Five people stand smiling in front of a poster with architectural drawings. One person on the right holds a certificate from the School of Architecture. They appear to be celebrating an achievement.

Students Address Urban Design Challenge in Cogburn Family Foundation ULI Hines Competition

March 12, 2018

A panoramic view of Austin’s South Shore Waterfront shows a river, two modern bridges, green trees, and clusters of contemporary buildings under a blue sky with birds flying.

Shaping Our City: Urban Design Students and Faculty Contribute to Nationally Acclaimed South Central Waterfront Project in Austin

November 22, 2017

Side-by-side photos of two older men with white hair and beards; one is smiling in a suit against a dark background, the other is seated at a desk with papers in a casual shirt, set in an office with brick walls and shelves.

Alumni Leaders Transform School of Architecture and City of Austin

November 22, 2017

Side-by-side portraits of two women, Edna Ledesma and Miriam Solis, with the text: Edna Ledesma and Miriam Solis to lead Race and Gender in the Built Environment Diversity Initiative.

UTSOA Hires Experts on Race and Gender in the Built Environment

August 8, 2017

Historic black and white photo of a large stone mansion with a turret, surrounded by palm trees and manicured lawns, next to a wide, empty street lined with trees and a long, narrow reflecting pool.

Landscape Afterlife of the Urban Ditch: GIS Investigation of Persistent Infrastructure

May 3, 2017

Aerial view of a modern urban district with greenery, green roofs, and a river nearby; text highlights reduced impervious cover and increased rainfall retention; city skyline visible in the background under a hazy sky.

Students Win National ULI Hines Urban Design Competition

April 10, 2017

An overhead view of a modern building entrance with a long, accessible ramp featuring wooden railings, stairs, a statue, and a large metal bell below.

Museo di Castelvecchio: Photographs by Sean O'Brien

February 16, 2017

UTSOA Establishes New Initiative on Race, Gender, and the Built Environment

September 2, 2016

Modern glass house with clean lines and large windows, surrounded by tropical plants and trees, with stone steps leading to the entrance under a clear blue sky.

Black and Miró Named 2016 Honor Award Recipients

August 26, 2016

Two women shake hands and smile on stage at an event, with a blue curtain in the background and a colorful house graphic displayed on a screen behind them. Other people stand in the background.

UTSOA Team Wins HUD Affordable Housing Competition

April 22, 2016

2016 ULI Hines Student Competition Honorable Mention

UTSOA Team Receives Honorable Mention in ULI Hines Competition

March 7, 2016

Banner for the HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing 2016 student design and planning competition, featuring colorful house-shaped geometric patterns on both sides of the text.

UTSOA Team Finalists in 2016 HUD Competition

February 19, 2016