Lahari Peluri, an alumna of the University of Oklahoma’s Urban Design program and Urban Planner III at Freese and Nichols, presented at the Barcelona Livable Cities Conference 2025, hosted by AMPS Research at La Salle BCN.
Her session, titled “The Human-Centered City Plan: Making Urban Strategies More Inclusive and Visual,” explored a design-forward approach to comprehensive planning that prioritizes empathy, accessibility, and storytelling. By reimagining long-range plans as engaging and community-driven tools, Peluri advocates for planning processes that are not only technically sound but also easy to understand, multilingual, and rooted in lived experiences.
The international conference brought together professionals and researchers from across the globe to discuss the intersection of design, social policy, and urban livability. Peluri’s work contributed to critical conversations around how cities can become more inclusive, equitable, and people-first.
Her participation highlights the global impact of OU’s Urban Design alumni and their growing leadership in shaping the future of urban planning.
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.