housing & urban development

An innovative design for a downtown Austin, Texas senior urban housing facility created by Akshay Sangolli, a Master of Architecture student at Texas A&M, earned a merit award the American Institute of Architect’s New Urban Models For Aging competition.

Prospective students can learn more about Texas A&M’s Urban and Regional Science doctoral program during a Oct. 23-25 open house, held in conjunction with the College of Architecture Research Symposium: Natural, Built, Virtual.

Private property rights are prevailing over efforts to avoid building in hazardous areas, said Sam Brody, professor of urban planning, in the Sept. 2011 issue of Architect, the magazine of the American Institute of Architects. He was quoted as part of the magazine’s coverage of a rise in natural disasters.

Some of Texas’ top land developers will discuss their experiences at this fall’s Real Estate Development Association Speaker Series. The lectures will take place 7 p.m. in the Wright Gallery, building A of the Langford Architecture Center.

City officials in Sealy, Texas are proceeding with steps to revitalize its historic downtown area, part of a comprehensive strategy aided by recommendations made during the fall 2009 semester by Master of Urban Planning students at Texas A&M.

The Rio Grande Guardian noted the graduation of a cadre of promotoras, community health workers trained by Texas A&M’s Center for Housing and Urban Development, in its Aug. 8 issue. The promotoras can now connect their fellow colonias residents with social services .

In search of Texas locations needing children’s summer lunch programs, Catholic Charities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service turned to the Center for Housing and Urban Development for help.

A new book exploring critical planning issues facing Latino communities includes a chapter about a building technique in Texas colonias by Cecilia Giusti, assistant professor of urban planning at Texas A&M, and Miriam Olivares, an Urban and Regional Science doctoral student.

A July 7, 2011 CNN story on Texas colonias highlights recent and ongoing efforts led by the College of Architecture aimed at enhancing the quality of life in these impoverished border communities, many of which lack basic necessities such as potable water, electricity and sewer systems.

Jayme Elterman ‘03, a former environmental design student, led a group of fellow students at a graduate design school in New York built Splash House, a new locker and changing room at a city pool, after designing and holding a successful fundraising campaign.

The Placa Europa, a new social housing tower in Barcelona co-designed by Miguel Roldán, an adjunct professor of architecture for Texas A&M’s study abroad program in Spain, prompted one architecture critic to write that it's “hard to believe this is social housing.”