UA Architecture students share vision of Tucson 2050

TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) - Tucson will always be known as a city of culture.

Walk down the street during a busy second Saturday of the month, you'll hear the music of street performers and the rumbling of new construction.

Many people will tell you growth in the Old Pueblo has become inevitable, and staying small is a thing of the past.

"I just don't think that's a realistic expectation, because considering the influx of people that are coming into Tucson," said Nancy Keller, who has lived in Tucson for a decade. She's seen the change, especially in the Congress district. "Very quiet, shut down at like, 6pm."

On Saturday night, she spent the evening looking at the city's growth through the lens of an Arizona architecture student.

"There's a lot more that goes into a city than you would think," Evan Robledo, a UA Architecture Student who worked on the project, told Tucson News Now.

Robledo and his classmate Jeremy Goodman were among the eleven students planning the future of Tucson this past semester

They took a glimpse at Tucson in the year 2050, with a goal of making our town more sustainable.

TNN was told the challenge behind that though, comes from the old historic buildings, including downtown.

"Congress has been here since day one and we want to keep it that way," said Goodman.

It's all theoretical of course. Much of the project eventually became retrofitting older buildings to make them environmentally friendly, while keeping their charm.

Robledo said, "I think it's really what makes the city what it is and why so many people gravitate towards it and why people want to live here to begin with."

These architecture students showed their findings to the public Saturday night, in hopes to get feedback from the community. Their ideas are something that Keller said she appreciates, blending sustainability and growth.

"We need to evolve with it," said Keller.

Keller also said, though, she hopes Tucson can avoid gentrification.

The feedback and findings from this project will get passed on to future classes. These students took it over from one class before them.