Catherine Sckerl

Professor of Practice in Architecture, Managing

Director of Center on Climate Change and Urbanism

Catherine Sckerl, AIA, AICP is an architect and urbanist whose research and practice crosses four, interdisciplinary areas: urban design and planning; cultural heritage and vernacular architecture; urban theory; and participatory or co-creative practice and research methods. Sckerl’s professional practice centers on sustainable urban design and planning, and her projects incorporate community engagement, cultural heritage, and environmentally conscious strategies. In her research, Sckerl is particularly interested in critical questions about representation and participation within the built environment, exploring ways that vernacular knowledges and practices contribute to urban character and placemaking.

Sckerl’s current research focuses on the vernacular architecture, history, and urban morphology of Oaxaca de Juárez, México, a regional capital known for its cultural heritage that is facing challenges related to rapid urbanization, gentrification, and climate change.

Sckerl’s work uses a combination of visual and spatial ethnography, interviews, and photovoice to document the emergent vernacular architecture of the urban periphery and examine ways that self-builders negotiate belonging to the city via their houses. Her past research has addressed themes of participatory design and architectural heritage at places ranging from New Orleans, LA to St. Petersburg, Russia to Venice, Italy.

Sckerl’s firm, Espero Planning & Design Studio, has worked with private, university, and non-profit clients on strategic and long-range facilities development initiatives. Notable projects include Austin Studios Creative Placemaking, which was funded by the NEA Our Town grant program; AFS Cinema; the Creative Media Center at Austin Studios, which was funded through City of Austin bond-funds and achieved LEED-Silver certification; and a campus expansion plan for Texas A&M University – San Antonio. Prior to Espero, Sckerl worked on projects including the downtown plans for the cities of San Marcos and Edinburg, TX, campus plans for Texas A&M University – Kingsville and Texas State University, and redevelopment plans for a few Gulf Coast communities following Hurricane Katrina.

At Tulane, Sckerl teaches courses in urbanism / urban studies and architectural research methods. She has also taught in the architectural design and history-theory architecture sequences.