UMD Initiative to Help Businesses of Color Survive—and Thrive—Despite Neighborhood Change
Written by Willow Lung-AmamThe view from Nubian Hueman, a clothing and home décor boutique in Washington, D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood, has shifted. Over the past five years, owner Anika Hobbs has seen more cranes and construction crews, as well as a change in the people that walk past her storefront: Once mostly Black, they are now more frequently white. “Right now, Anacostia is under the threat of major gentrification,” she said. “We cater to people of color, so what is that going to look like when the neighborhood changes?”
UMD Architecture Students and Alumni Win Big at the 2020 AIA Maryland Excellence in Design Awards
Ten University of Maryland architecture students were recognized for innovative, sustainable design projects at this year’s AIA Maryland Excellence in Design Awards, sweeping the top prize for each of the undergraduate and graduate-level categories. This year’s jury, a roster of established practitioners from California, Idaho, Texas and Colorado, also recognized several alumni in the jury citation, merit and honor categories. Winners were celebrated in a virtual ceremony on September 24, 2020.
Dr. Marccus Hendricks Joins Urban Studies and Planning Program
Dr. Marccus Hendricks will join the University of Maryland’s Urban Studies and Planning Program this fall as an incoming Assistant Professor. With a research and practice agenda rooted in environmental justice, Hendricks’ interests focus on how infrastructure, environmental outcomes and neighborhood forces interact to affect people’s everyday lives and their lives during times of extreme events. He specializes in infrastructure planning and management, environmental planning and hazard and disaster mitigation.
Planning Life After Retirement: Dr. Jim Cohen
Dr. Jim Cohen, Senior Lecturer and former Director of the Urban Studies and Community Planning Program, retires this summer after 27 years at the University of Maryland. Jim was integral in shaping the program, leveraging his passion for environmental planning to bring new coursework and opportunities to the school, including community projects in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. He engineered the university’s National Center for Smart Growth, which was developed to leverage the expertise of multiple university programs. Dr.
2nd Annual Colvin Case Study Challenge Winners
First Place: Kevin Turner and Christopher TringaliSchool: SUNY BuffaloProject: Delaware North Building, Buffalo, New York Faculty Adviser: Mark FoersterMentor: David StebbinsSecond Place: Jainam Shah and Vandana VishnubhotlaSchool: New York UniversityProject: Via Verde, South Bronx, New YorkFaculty Adviser: Barry HershMentor: Emily Youssouf
"In the Shadow of the Cloud" - Kibel Gallery Opening
This event is open to the public
March 4, 2026
March 4, 2026
NOMAS Mock Interview Night
This event is open to the MAPP and UMD Community onlyNOMAS will be inviting two professionals from the architecture field to help conduct mock interviews. Students will practice interviewing, then receive feedback on how to improve their skills.
February 16, 2026
February 16, 2026
MAPP Fall 2022 Student Project Showcase
Each semester, students from MAPP’s Master of Architecture, Master of Historic Preservation and Master of Real Estate Development Programs culminate their graduate experience at the University of Maryland with one final project. For architecture students, it’s the design thesis, a written and oral presentation of a site-specific project and a mash-up of the skills, design thinking and interpretation they’ll use in the profession.
Michele Lamprakos Awarded National Humanities Center Fellowship
Written by Dan Novak.
Michele Lamprakos Awarded National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship
Associate Professor Michele Lamprakos, an architect and historian specializing in the architecture, heritage and urbanism of the Arab-Islamic world, has earned a 2023 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities to forward her second book, Memento Mauri: The Afterlife of the Great Mosque of Cordoba (forthcoming, University of Texas Press).