Native American Design Symposium

Grant Type

Mini Grant

Project Status

Active

Award Period

FY2026

Awarded Amount

$10,000

Project Description

The Native American Sustainable Design Symposium project is a two-day event with three components led by College of Architecture Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) faculty and staff and student members of the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning, & Design (ISAPD), an organization “focused on increasing international knowledge, consciousness, and appreciation of Indigenous architecture, planning, and design, inclusive of landscape architecture and environmental design, in academia and the professional realm.” The project will consist of short lectures by four Native and American and Indigenous (NAI) built environment professionals presenting their innovative work through the lens of NAI sustainable design philosophies, a panel discussion moderated by two local NAI built environment professionals, and a workshop between ISAPD members, CAPLA students, and two local NAI built environment professionals. The symposium will be recorded and made available for future reference on the Native Peoples Design Coalition (NPDC) website. NAI strategies of planning and design embed philosophies such as Seven Generations Thinking, which states that development decisions today are required to consider the impacts on our descendants at least 200 years in the future.

The Native American Sustainable Design Symposium will provide four paid student positions to help plan and run the event.

Check out this article promoting the symposium!

Project Outcomes

The Sustainable by Design Indigenous Symposium project team reported that they successfully achieved the goal of elevating Indigenous knowledge, particularly its contributions to environmental and social sustainability, as a framework for advancing design practices in the built environment. Following a semester of dedicated planning and coordination guided by student employees and club members, Wanda Dalla Costa, Dr. Theodore Jojola, Johnpaul Jones, and Athena Steen were hosted for an impactful one-day symposium at College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA).

Through lectures, discussions, hands-on workshops, and cultural exchange, the symposium highlighted the importance of grounding design in community, culture, and place while strengthening relationships between students and faculty in CAPLA and Indigenous-serving groups, organizations, nonprofits, and communities across campus, throughout Tucson, and across the broader region.

The symposium exceeded attendance expectations, drawing 79 participants to the afternoon lecture, Connecting People, Culture, and Nature; 74 at the Building with Nature workshop; and 143 at the evening Sustainable by Design Symposium lecture. Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive feedback.

Although the Sustainable by Design Indigenous Symposium has concluded, the project was designed to create impacts that extend beyond the single event. ISAPD intends to continue hosting Indigenous-focused events, lectures, workshops, and community gatherings, drawing from the interest shown at the symposium. Connections made during the planning and aftermath of this symposium will aid the club members in establishing future programming.

Watch a video highlighting the event produced by members of the project team!