The Community Design & Action (CDA) Studio is the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture's (CAPLA) community-engaged architecture capstone, where students address complex social challenges through collaborative, design-build practice. Building on the previous year's Tucson Hope Factory Micro Shelter Project, students partnered with Apostolic Deliverance Ministry (ADM), La Frontera, and Boxes of Hope to develop a campus proposal addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and community well-being. Supported by the Peter and Pat Hirschman University-Community Research Partnership Fund, the studio also completed the interior build-out of a prototype shipping container dwelling, advancing Boxes of Hope's mission to create affordable housing through adaptive reuse. Working alongside community partners, nonprofit leaders, consultants, and residents, students integrated research, public engagement, and hands-on construction to explore how architecture can foster dignity, resilience, and lasting community impact.
