Blog | The Institute for Quality Communities

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 2026-2027 Request for Proposals (RFP) process for Community Assistance Projects.

Letter from Director

December 2, 2025

Dear Friends of the IQC, As we wrap up another busy and inspiring semester, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for the work we have accomplished together.

Meet the OU IQC Team!

The Institute for Quality Communities is pleased to introduce our academic year 2025-2026 team leadership, faculty affiliates, and graduate assistants. During the month of September we highlighted individual team members on our social media channels.

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.

Western Avenue Update

In 2013, we assisted the City of Oklahoma City with a design for the Western Avenue Streetscape in a commercial district between 41st and 46th Street. Our design for Western Avenue focused on maximizing pedestrian space, making it safer and more comfortable to be...

Placemaking Residency: Chuck Marohn and Tripp Muldrow

We extended the reach of the 2015 IQC Placemaking Conference by sending three conference speakers on the road in Oklahoma during the week of the conference. Gil Penalosa traveled with the IQC to Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Chuck Marohn and Tripp Muldrow traveled with the...

Placemaking Residency: Gil Penalosa

Highlights from the 2015 Placemaking Conference

We were pleased to welcome more than 800 guests from 55 communities around Oklahoma and other states to the 2015 Placemaking Conference last week. Videos of the lectures will be available soon. Until then, here is a review of the best insights of the day through the...

Form-Based Codes Coming to Oklahoma

Yukon has approved a new form-based code, and Stillwater and Norman may be the next communities to adopt a new type of development regulation. Form-based codes are an emerging type of development regulations that focus primarily on the character of urban form in a...

60 Years of Urban Change: West

60 years has made a big difference in the urban form of American cities. This visual tool is a way to review the scope of these changes. In many cases, the most notable changes are a legacy of the urban renewal programs and planning of the mid-century period. This...

A Better Classen: Getting Started

On Wednesday, January 28, ULI Oklahoma hosted a public meeting to kick off a project to envision the future of Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Around 200 people attended the event, learning briefly about the project and the history of Classen Boulevard. A key...

Biking, Walking, and Transit Use Across the US (2013)

The latest data about how Americans get to work is now available. The 2013 American Community Survey estimates by the US Census Bureau were released last fall. This is the latest source of information about trends in how Americans are getting to work. Note that this...