AZZA KAMAL PhD, LEED AP ND
URBANIST I ARCHITECT I RESEARCHER I EDUCATOR I FULBRIGHT ALUMNA
Dr. Kamal is an architect, urban planner, and researcher. She is currently an Assistant Professor (Instruction Stream) in the Sustainability and the Built Environment Program and the Department of Urban & Regional Planning at the University of Florida's College of Design, Construction and Planning. She is also the Coordinator of Geodesign Specialization and a Faculty Affiliate in the UF Center for European Studies. Dr. Kamal specializes in housing policy and development, sustainable and resilient communities design, geospatial analysis and modeling, equitable planning, and data-driven programs to eradicate homelessness. Prior to joining UF, she was the Director of Research at SARAH [HUD's lead Continuum of Care agency in San Antonio/Bexar County, TX] and Adjunct Professor at Texas State University.
Dr. Kamal has been invited as a studio and seminar critic (in architecture, urban design/and planning) at several campuses including State University of New York-Delhi, Technische Universität Berlin, (Germany), McEwen School of Architecture (Canada), Texas A&M University, Texas State University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and University of Florida, . She won several academic and national awards. In April 2022, she was named to the prestigious Fulbright Specialist Roster for a four-year tenure (2022-2026), during which she was an Invited Fulbright Specialist to Technische Universität Berlin, Germany (in January 2023), where she lectured and led workshops on Environmental, Social and Governance [ESG] framework of sustainable urban development. In Summer 2023, she was the recipient of the University of Florida's Research Tutorials Abroad Award for the European Studies area, and in 2016, she was one of two recipients of the University of Texas at San Antonio Faculty Award for Service to Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry.
​
As part of her architecture and urban desing practice experience in Cairo-based Shehab Mazhar Architects, she was the lead architect for Phase-V design team of El Gouna master planned community. The community was awarded the 2014 UN Environment Program Global Human Settlements Award for global human settlement. Dr. Kamal earned a PhD in architecture & Urban Planning from Cairo University, M.Sc. in architecture from Texas A&M University, M.Sc. in architecture from Cairo University, and a five-year professional B.S. in architecture from the same University. She holds two graduate certificates (in GIS & Geodesign) from Penn State and is a LEED ND Accredited Professional.
Dr. Kamal's research is published in the Journal of Urban Planning and Development, International Journal of Architectural Research, Camino Real, Elsevier, Taylor and Francis, Computational Urban Planning and Urban Management (CUPUM) proceedings, and other international publications. She was funded by the Institute for Economic Development, Najim Foundation, and several academic units. Her grant from Edwards Aquifer Authority and San Antonio River Authority supported a study she and her students conducted to create a geospatial toolkit to identify water management sites with high-pollutant load in Bexar county, Texas, and created retrofit modeling scenarios using Low Impact Development and placemaking concepts. She was also commissioned to assess federal post-recession policy, HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), in Phoenix, Arizona and Denver, Colorado by NALCAB and a consortium of 15 nonprofit organizations. And her technical report on projecting demand and sustainable redesign of workforce housing in Eagle Ford Shale region was cited by several media and news outlets.
In her local government experience in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Kamal developed several policies including the 2019 ordinance writing and community engagement for the $1M Emergency Housing Assistance Program, and developed a geospatial data-supporting tool for equitable allocation of more than $10M for city-wide Home Repair Programs. Dr. Kamal has served in several cities commission and advisory boards. She is currently a Board Member in the International Women in GIS organization and the Chair of its Awards and Scholarships Committee, and a reviewer for several journals and conferences.
​
She enjoys travelling, multicultural experience, cooking mediterranean food, and listening to the 80s pop music!