2026 APA Florida Conference: UF URP in Miami
The University of Florida Department of Urban and Regional Planning ventured to Miami for the 2026 American Planning Association (APA) Florida Conference earlier this month, with students and faculty joining alumni and friends to present projects and research while networking with planners from across the state.
Check out all the photos and highlights from the week:
Five MURP and Ph.D. students held poster sessions during the conference:
MURP student Ana Luiza Lanat presents her poster “The Economic Impact of Nature-Based Nutrient Reduction: Sweetwater Wetlands PArk as a BMAP Compliance Strategy and its Multiplier Effects on the Gainesville-Alachua County Economy”
MURP student Emily Teodoru presents her poster “The Central Florida SunRail: Considerations for First-Mile Last-Mile Accessibility and Implications of Transit-Oriented Development on Ridership”
Ph.D. candidate Ana Tricarico Orosco presents her poster “Resilience as a Practice: The Case of Indianhead-Lehigh”
Ph.D. student Emmanuel Mensah presents his poster “From ‘Garden City’ to Concrete City: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Urban Sprawl, Green Space Loss, and Planning Policies in Kumasi, Ghana”
Ph.D. student Oluwasegun James presents his poster “Right-Sizing Rooftop Solar for Affordable Housing: A Cost-Constrained Planning Framework for Equitable Energy Access in Florida”
Two MURP students presented their projects/research:
MURP student Sidra Gray placed second in the student presentation competition for her project “My First Community Meeting: Am I the Problem?”
MURP alum Lucas Beasley presents his project “Evaluating Miami-21: A Form-Based Code Development Outcomes Study”
A team of students received their APA Florida Award of Merit for the project “UF x LaVilla”, a proposal for UF’s new downtown Jacksonville campus.
Click here to learn more about this project.
The department hosted a happy hour celebration during the conference, bringing together students, alumni and friends to mix, mingle and talk about all things planning.
Check out more photos from the conference!
