Fernando Costa, a professor of practice in the Regional + City Planning program, recently chaired a seven-member Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory services panel in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
ULI is a global, multidisciplinary research and education organization that promotes best practices in real estate development. Professor Costa, who has taught courses in public finance and planning management within Gibbs College for the past fifteen years, currently serves ULI as a Global Governing Trustee, Americas Executive Committee member, and member of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Committee.
Invited by Ancora Partners and the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, Costa joined a team of panelists to study the Electric Works redevelopment project in the city. The panel took place from April 30 through May 5, where the team toured the historic site, interviewed dozens of local stakeholders, and explored opportunities for involving underrepresented businesses and communities in the project.
This research guided the team in creating an equitable development model that real estate developers and public officials can apply to similar projects in other American cities. The model applies DEI principles to large-scale urban development projects, and emphasizes market analysis, inclusive planning, business equity, and off-site community improvements.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition Vollendorf in Oklahoma: The Architecture of Dean Bryant Vollendorf during the Spring 2025 semester. It will be on display in Gould Hall, on the OU-Norman Campus, from February 16, 2026 - March 13, 2026.
On November 21, 2025, the Mainsite Contemporary Art gallery was transformed into a showcase of innovation and craftsmanship for the University of Oklahoma’s furniture design build studio exhibition, “Purpose in Form.”
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
