Dr. Bryce Lowery, an assistant professor in the division of Regional + City Planning, recently spoke at a symposium highlighting food security issues in northeast Oklahoma City.
The Urban Land Institute of Oklahoma brought Oklahoma City residents, policymakers and experts together to “discuss potential ways to solve the food access crisis in northeast OKC,” according to an article that highlighted the symposium. Gibbs College is proud to have served as a community partner for this event.
Other speakers at the symposium included professors from the University of Southern California and University of Maryland in Baltimore County, with the panel moderated by OKC Councilwoman Nikki Nice.
Lowery’s recent work investigates investigates the relationship between grocery store location, socioeconomic statuses and diet-related health outcomes in Oklahoma. He has noted that low-income and minority communities often have fewer grocery stores.
“I’ve been here six years, and it’s been a conversation that I’ve heard the whole time I’ve been here — what do we do about the northeast side?” Lowery said.
Rather than continuously depending on large corporations, Lowery said community based solutions are necessary. Though Oklahoma has plentiful agricultural land, there is still a lack of full service grocery stores, especially in northeast Oklahoma City.
Read the full article and learn what the other speakers had to say.
Featured photo by Archiebald Browne
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
