The University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) is partnering with the Kay County Healthy Living Program to host the Oklahoma Towns: Walkability and Placemaking Summit. The summit will feature workshops and speakers from Kay County and other parts of Oklahoma to highlight real-world examples of changing an environment to promote walkability and placemaking. The summit also will showcase projects and success stories from communities that have created active living environments that are safe and welcome to pedestrians and bicyclists.
The summit will take place June 13-14, 2022, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. There will also be a pre-conference meet-up in Newkirk on June 13th at 5:30 pm. This meet up will highlight the recent virtual reality storytelling project with Trifecta Communications, OU IQC, and Newkirk Main Street.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
