Although he was born and died in North Texas (Wichita Falls and Tyler), Norm was a proud Sooner. Raised and educated in Wewoka and Norman, he became Midwest City’s first planning director, later assuming the role of planning director for Oklahoma City during the mid-1970s. His career then expanded beyond Oklahoma, leading planning programs for Broward County, FL; Austin, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Durham, NC; Cape Coral, FL; and Wichita Falls, TX. Norm was always in pursuit of innovative solutions to complex challenges.
In Broward County, he drafted Florida’s first mandatory home rule plan and land development code, also implementing the state’s first impact fees. In Austin, he managed the Austinplan process, ensuring the adoption of a mandatory home rule charter amendment. His tenure in Oklahoma City was marked by service on the State Task Force on Planning and Zoning and the Oklahoma State Capitol/Medical Area Zoning Commission.
Norm’s planning efforts were recognized with awards from both the Florida and Nevada chapters of the American Planning Association (APA). Beyond public service, he was a partner in an Oklahoma City development firm, focusing on inner-city housing rehabilitation and shopping center development.
He received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1962 and a Master of Regional and City Planning in 1966, both from the University of Oklahoma.
Norm Standerfer
May 06, 1938 - January 22, 2024
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.
