Job Opening: Institute for Quality Communities Program Manager

The Institute for Quality Communities in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture and the University of Oklahoma seeks applications for a Program Manager, Job Number 250621. This full-time position is located onsite at the Norman campus.

OU IQC Invites Community Assistance Project Proposals

The Institute of Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025-2026 Request for Proposals (RFP) process for Community Assistance Projects.

OU Landscape Architecture Students Reimagine UCO Child Study Center Playground

Thirteen graduate students in the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma are helping bring nature-focused design to the Child Study Center at the University of Central Oklahoma.

IQC Placemaking Conference Slated for Spring 2027

The next Placemaking Conference, a cornerstone program of the OU Institute for Quality Communities, is now scheduled for Spring 2027.

Amber Wiley Named Director of the IQC

Following a national search, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma has named Dr. Amber Wiley as the new director of the Institute for Quality Communities

IQC Students Create Mobility Course for Disabled Children

IQC Students Create Mobility Course for Disabled Children

Students in the spring IQC Community Workshop developed a new mobility course for Norman's J.D. McCarty Center. The Center is Oklahoma's premier place for care and treatment of children with special needs and developmental disabilities. One of the primary missions of...

Western Avenue Update

Western Avenue Update

If you missed our meeting on April 25, here is some of the information we presented. Click the images to view them full size in a new window.

Lost Space on Western

Lost Space on Western

The strips of asphalt between traffic lanes and street parking take up valuable space that could otherwise be used for trees, parking or sidewalks along Western Ave. Additionally, these buffer spaces give drivers the impression of wide, highway-like lanes and invite...

7 Western Avenue Walkability Challenges

7 Western Avenue Walkability Challenges

We have spent a lot of time walking through the commercial district on Western Avenue recently. We want to highlight some of the most common walkability challenges that are hurting the pedestrian experience, window shopping, and public safety along Western Avenue...

New Pelco Products/Institute For Quality Communities Scholarship

New Pelco Products/Institute For Quality Communities Scholarship

Our great friends at Edmond's Pelco Products have generously donated to a scholarship that will be offered through the Institute for Quality Communities. The $1,500 scholarship will be called the Institute for Quality Communities Leadership Award and it supports...

IQC Students Work in Seminole

IQC Students Work in Seminole

Downtown Seminole, Oklahoma is the next stop for students in the IQC Community Workshop course, under the guidance of Professor Ron Frantz and Associate Director Hope Mander. A team of eight students is working on the project. The students represent four divisions of...

Pelco Products Helps Implement First Step in Shawnee Plan

Pelco Products Helps Implement First Step in Shawnee Plan

IQC students delivered a final presentation to over 100 Shawnee citizens and community leaders on Monday evening. At the end of the presentation, the students announced that immediate progress can be made with a pedestrian wayfinding sign that has been donated to...

Reimagine Downtown Shawnee

Reimagine Downtown Shawnee

Students in the IQC and Regional and City Planning studio have been working in downtown Shawnee to create a new downtown plan. The group of 13 students are working under the leadership of Associate Dean Charles Warnken, IQC Director Blair Humphreys, Associate Director...

Statewide Preservation Conference in Tahlequah

Statewide Preservation Conference in Tahlequah

Last week IQC staff and OU students traveled to Tahlequah, Oklahoma for the Statewide Preservation Conference. Director Blair Humphreys, Associate Director Hope Mander, Professor Ron Frantz, Professor Emeritus Arn Henderson, OU Urban Design Studio graduate Meagan...

IQC Students Present Projects in Norman, Pauls Valley

IQC Students Present Projects in Norman, Pauls Valley

It was an excellent first semester for the IQC Community Workshop Course. Professor Ron Frantz, Director Blair Humphreys, Associate Director Hope Mander have led two groups of students through two great projects. This first round of student projects shows the...

IQC Students Ready to Unveil Alvis Hotel Proposal

IQC Students Ready to Unveil Alvis Hotel Proposal

The semester is nearing an end, and the IQC Community Workshop is wrapping up. Students in the Alvis Hotel group are ready to present their final proposals in Pauls Valley. The students have chosen to reveal the proposal during a presentation at BrickFest in Paul's...