This has been an exciting year for the Center for Urban & Community Design (CUCD). Founded in 1992 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew with the mission of fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to create and strengthen communities, the CUCD has acted as a catalyst for embedding resilience in the built environment. Through research, teaching, and service, the center has achieved this impact by encouraging interdisciplinary thought, and centering communities in the subtropics and tropics. In 2025, the CUCD was reestablished as a joint initiative of the School of Architecture and the Climate Resilience Institute.
CUCD has spent the past nine months reintroducing its work and mission to the communities it serves and engaging in numerous innovative projects where design and resilience strategies come together through interdisciplinary approaches to community-centered climate resilience in the built environment.
Through a partnership with the University's Global Institute for Community Health, Climate Resilience Institute, and Resilient Cities Catalyst, the CUCD is working with the Bahamian government to help design affordable, resilient housing and a "resilience center," which is envisioned as a community hub that serves as an emergency response center during future storm events.
Minister Ginger Moxey shares her vision with students while touring the future home of a tech hub in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
This partnership began with a housing studio taught by Veruska Vaconez and I in which students worked directly with Minster Moxey's staff, developing a master plan and recommendations for resilient, middle-income housing in the heart of Freeport on a site acquired by the government after Hurricane Dorian. The CUCD built on the student work, developing a proposal for a new urban district and resilience center, presenting initial findings and hosting a workshop with the Minster and other agencies in Grand Bahama. We are excited to continue this partnership this summer and beyond.
CUCD Open House and other events
One of our focuses this past year has been reintroducing ourselves to the community. One way we have worked to achieve this is through CUCD hosted events and speaking engagements. In January, we hosted an open house where more than seventy stakeholders including University of Miami faculty, nonprofit leaders, and local firms joined us to celebrate the reestablishment of the center. We also hosted Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear, co-authors of Life After Cars for a hard hat walking tour of the Underline, led by founder Meg Daly.
Left: Dean el-Khoury welcomes attendees to the CUCD Open House. Right: Meg Daly leads UM community members on a tour of The Underline.
Additionally, we have taken advantage of invitations to speak to spread the word about the center and the ways we hope to collaborate in the future. This has included speaking at academic and trade conferences, to local resilience committees, and most recently at Resilience 365, a conference produced by the Climate Resilience Institute. I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet passionate folks from across the resilience and built environment diaspora throughout the U.S.. I have been pleasantly surprised by just how many University of Miami alumni are excited to see us, often seeking out our sessions and taking the time to share how meaningful their experience as a student was to their careers. In New York City, where we hosted a workshop for NYC Climate Week, we met nearly a dozen alumni at events including U-SoA alumni working for city agencies, at catalytic design firms, and in the development space.
Left: Moderating a panel at PAMM during Open House Miami. Right: Hosting students at the Everglades Coalition Conference in Naples, FL as part of a spring studio.
Looking forward
We have several exciting projects in the works with local communities, nonprofit organizations, and researchers from across the University. As we continue to grow our impact, we are looking for opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary work that meets the moment to effectively respond to current and future challenges. If we haven't had the opportunity to connect, I invite you to reach out – for a coffee on campus, Zoom, or tour of our space so we can brainstorm how the CUCD can help you with your goals.
-- Thomas Klein, Director, Center for Urban & Community Design
