NORMAN — Blair Humphreys, an urban designer and University of Oklahoma assistant professor, is awaiting approval to become executive director of the OU College of Architecture’s Institute for Quality Communities.
The OU Board of Regents is expected to approve the appointment at its September meeting. The institute was founded in 2008.
“It is clear that the built environment — streets, public spaces, buildings, etc. — shapes the way we live,” Humphreys wrote to The Norman Transcript in an email. “As part of the College of Architecture, the institute is positioned to work with Oklahoma towns and cities in creating places that enable people to live healthier, more connected, more fulfilling lives.”
If approved, Humphreys will succeed Robert Goins, a College of Architecture professor emeritus and the institute’s interim director for the past 18 months.
Humphreys is an Oklahoma City native who teaches urban design classes at OU’s College of Architecture. He graduated from OU in 2005 and earned a master’s degree in city planning and urban design in 2009 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Last spring, Humphreys was faculty advisor for a group of OU students who placed fourth out of more than 150 college teams at a national urban design competition.
