SA+P Research
New Research!
Assistant Professor of Architecture Lauren McQuistion awarded 2026 Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals
Assistant Professor of Architecture Lauren McQuistion has been awarded support through the highly competitive Graham Foundation Grants to Individuals. This grant supports, "Skyline: Rereading an Architectural Tabloid", a collaborative research project that Lauren has developed with Alex Maymind (University of Minnesota) and David Turturo (Texas Tech University). The project revisits Skyline, an influential but understudied architectural newspaper published in the late 1970s and early 1980s by the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.
Research and scholarship are foundational to the work of the School of Architecture and Planning. Faculty members are experienced collaborators in diverse scholarship and engagement in the following capacities:
- development of policies, programs, plans and designs with communities, non-profits, and governments addressing how the built environment can support their goals;
- writing and illustrating histories of the built environment and understanding the myriad and complex relationships between people and places;
- researching energy and water efficiency, environmental services, public health impacts and other performative aspects of the built environment;
- creating award-winning designs;
- documenting historic and cultural resources;
- managing and researching design and development processes and practices.
Research Centers
Our faculty have been funded by and collaborated with national agencies, international foundations, tribal and state governments, as well as cities, small towns, neighborhood associations and local non-profit organizations. The School houses three research and engagement centers.
- Founded in 1969 the Design and Planning Assistance Center (DPAC) is one of the oldest university-based community design centers in the United States. DPAC works with communities and non-profits throughout the Southwest on urban, landscape, architectural, and planning projects identified by the community.
- The Resource Center for Raza Planning (RCRP) is engaged in public policy issues related to growth and development in New Mexico. RCRP researches issues such as economic development, land use, land tenure, infrastructure, transportation, water rights, water use and quality, agricultural preservation, and a multitude of other planning topics.
- Founded in 2011, the Indigenous Design and Planning Institute’s (IDPI) goal is to educate and inform Indigenous design and planning by engaging faculty, students, professionals and community leaders in culturally responsive practices. Its three principal areas of activity are academic, professional, and tribal. IDPI aims to foster sustainable communities among Indigenous populations—communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures.
SA+P Research Development Office
Renia Ehrenfeucht, Associate Dean for Research
rehrenfeucht@unm.edu
Ashley Lazevnick, Faculty Research Support Officer
alazevnick@unm.edu
Becca Vásquez, Program Manager
rjvasquez@unm.edu
