School of Architecture and Planning

Students attending the Crosby Hall opening on the thrid floor exhibition space.

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Upcoming Events

Social Transformations and Urban Transitions in China
3/29/25
Saturday, March 29, 2025
This conference gathers scholars and experts from diverse fields in the United States and around the world to engage in a rigorous examination of the physical, social, and economic aspects of China’s ongoing urbanization.
Sarah Williams
4/2/25
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Williams will explain how we can use data as a tool for empowerment rather than oppression, something Williams calls "Data Action", which is also the title of her recent book.

See all events

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Faces & Voices

Geoffrey Butler’s love of Buffalo led to his work in one of the hardest hit flood areas in the U.S.

2/12/15

Geoffrey Butler (MUP '11)
Planner, Houston Planning and Development

"The ability to come up with practical ways to engage the general public in terms they can understand is a valuable and essential asset to any preservation organization. During my time at UB, I learned practical solutions and ways to address this."

10/1/19

Katharine Hewlings (MS Arch '18)
Historic Buildings and Structures Survey Coordinator, History Nebraska

"Our biggest challenge moving forward is creating more equitable outcomes and improving our cities."

2/21/19

Samuel Wells (MUP '14)
Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, City of Albany

"I have always been very proud to be a graduate from this school and cherish the years that I spent in Buffalo. I discovered so much about the person I was and wanted to become."

3/4/20

Diane Georgopulos, FAIA (BA '73)
Retired director of housing and construction for MassHousing

"Real estate development is a tool, a potentially powerful tool, that can effectuate meaningful change in society, in cities, towns and communities, and in the lives of individuals."

2/8/21

Connor Kenney (MSRED '18)
Real Estate Developer, SAA/EVI.

"I can't emphasize enough the importance of grant writing. It's a huge piece in the urban planning field. If there's a grant writing class, take it."

5/20/19

Rebecca Yanus (MUP '15, BAED '13)
Director of Planning and Development, City of Dunkirk, NY

"I have the opportunity to try to gain more visibility for females in both the STEM field and in professional sports."

10/29/19

Kimberly Sass (MArch ’16)
Job Captain, HLW; Goaltender and Board Member, Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association

“My best advice to students: Take every advantage to get practical experience through internships or community work.”

2/12/15

Gary Jastrzab (BA '76)
Executive Director, Philadelphia City Planning Commission

“The general attitude of the school is not to project things onto the students, but to have them go out and discover things on their own. You might not have the answer, but you know how to get it. That skill set really prepares you for a career in anything.”

3/13/15

Courtney Creenan-Chorley (MArch/MUP '12, BAED '08)
Architect, Flynn Battaglia Architects

Architect Michael Garz (BA '72) has managed design for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, guided by lessons learned at UB.

2/12/15

Michael Garz (BA '72)
Senior Vice President, STV

"I had no idea the paths urban planning would open up."

5/20/19

Caitlin Donovan (MUP '11, BAED '09)
Community Planning and Development Director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

"My background in all three fields allows me to approach projects more comprehensively. I’m able to understand the various aspects of each project and can move from one to the other with ease and help mediate conflicts when needed."

1/28/20

Bradley Everdyke (MArch/MUP '17, BAED '13)
Architect focusing in historic preservation, Carmina Wood Morris, Buffalo, NY

"Sometimes you've just got to take a risk."

3/28/18

Doug Swift (MArch '93)
Developer, Buffalo

"UB's MSRED program stands out due to their emphasis on preparing students for professional practice post-graduation. These resources were instrumental in aiding students with summer placements, industry connections, and full-time employment opportunities that furthered UB's impact beyond the classroom."

11/12/24

Brendan Flowers (MSRED '22)
Development Associate, SmartCentres REIT

"I decided to combine my planning skills and technical training in community development with public health to create the concept of healthy places for healthy people."

11/21/19

Dean S. Seneca (BAED '90)
Senior public health specialist and CEO, Seneca Scientific Solutions+ LLC, Buffalo, NY

"I adore working toward a common goal. There's a can-do kind of spirit, a lightness at Studio Gang."

5/20/19

Maciej Kaczynski (BS Arch '06)
Project Leader, Studio Gang (Chicago)

“We need to think about how to pull these ‘digital materials’ into our set of design tools and expertise...to create a world where it makes sense to interact with physical space and digital things, and still be relevant for an architectural practice.”

2/12/15

Adam Laskowitz (MArch/MFA ’12, Architecture BS ’09)
Director of User Experience, Target Corp.

Omar Hakeem has dedicated his career to building social and environmental equality through design and making.

11/26/19

Omar Hakeem (BS Arch '06)
Design Director, bcWorkshop, Washington D.C.

Faller is a designer and builder that loves all things related to the built environment. She has practiced professionally at the small residential design build scale, to the large corporate commercial scale. Kalyn has taken her skills and knowledge of buildings, construction, and project management to General Motors where she is currently the Facilities Engineer at the Lockport site. Kalyn recently delivered a TEDxBuffalo talk on the Buffalo Porch as sacred space.

12/20/24

Kalyn Faller (BS Arch '18)
Facilities Engineer, General Motors

"I never really knew planning was a career...growing up, my family fostered a love of history and an appreciation for historic buildings. The master’s in urban planning program intrigued that part of me, so even though I never considered myself an excellent student or a strong writer, I took my shot and applied....being a part of the program was the best two years ever.”

10/2/24

Hallie Wright (MUP '24)
Preservation planner focusing in historic preservation, Preservation Studios, Buffalo, NY

Michael Nelson, performing arts center (PAC) design guru, reflects on creating the "living rooms" of our communities.

11/4/19

Michael Nelson (MArch '83, BPS '81)
Architect and co-founder, designel, Palm Springs, Fla.

"The School of Architecture and Planning's open environment and access to professors allowed me to tinker. It’s quite literally what I encourage the staff to do here.”

3/28/18

Kenneth Smith (MArch '85)
Principal, Smith + Associates Architects

It may seem an unlikely place for an architect to land, but Matthew Sama, assistant art director for NBC’s “The Blacklist,” says his UB education uniquely prepared him for what he’s doing today.

2/12/15

Matthew Sama (MArch ’11, Architecture BS ’09)
Assistant Art Director, NBC

“I wanted to live in the middle of nowhere and plant trees,” Jajean Rose-Burney recalls of his hopes for a stint in the Peace Corps. Instead, he wound up behind a desk in a big bureaucracy in Mexico’s fourth-largest city, Puebla.

4/29/14

Jajean Rose-Burney (MUP '07, BAED '05)
Deputy Executive Director, Western New York Land Conservancy

"Placemaking in Black communities should take a context sensitive approach to customs and cultural values and their effects on the Black family nuclei."

2/23/21

Byron Nicholas (MUP '13, BAED '11)
Creator of Black + Urban; Supervising Transportation Planner, Hudson County, NJ

“In thirty-five years following my graduation from UB, I have always stayed connected, collaborative and collegial. I believe that I cultivated a rigorous attitude toward constructing links between the discipline and practice of architecture through my studies in the MArch program. ”

3/30/20

Murat Soygenis, FAIA, MArch '85
Founding Partner S+ ARCHITECTURE, Professor, Istanbul

“The interdisciplinary approach to the program has allowed me to review real estate opportunities from different perspectives. ”

11/3/22

Michael Velasco, MSRED '19
Vice President, LIHTC Tax Credit Equity Asset Manager at M&T Bank

Meet our Alumni Principals at Gensler

10/15/15

Alumni Marc Bruffett (BAED '92) and Eric Ginsburg (Architecture BS '01) have taken on leadership roles for global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler.