Indigenizing geospatial data knowledge systems to empower Native American communities.

The Native Peoples Design Coalition (NPDC) is a not-for-profit center within the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) at the University of Arizona (UA / UArizona). 

The Navajo Nation (heretofore referred to as the Nation) is the largest reservation in the United States, covering four states and approximately 27,000 square miles (equal in size to Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont combined).The Nation is divided into 110 Chapters (local governing bodies) who provide resources at the local level to approximately 173,000 people that reside on the reservation.

Within the Nation, 35.8 percent of all households fall below the federal poverty line, compared with 12.7 percent of all households nationally.  Poverty on the Nation is linked to multiple factors, some of which include generational trauma, stagnated economic growth due to exclusion from national and global economies, and a general lack of physical and technological infrastructure. The building blocks needed for alleviating poverty in this region, provided by the Chapters, include community facilities for fitness, health, wellbeing, education, and training opportunities; improved infrastructure to connect this community digitally and physically to other economies and markets; safer community environments; transmission and preservation of culture and identity; and the development of affordable housing.

Fortunately, within each Chapter there are dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled Navajo People living on the Nation authorized to do the work necessary to protect, preserve and empower their local communities. However, what remains elusive to those working on the Nation is access to technological tools and geospatial data sets that would allow them to design and build structures to house programs aimed at providing opportunity and to implement innovative decision-making processes to better their local Chapters. Oftentimes, if data is available, it is collected and managed by non-Tribal agencies and does not reflect the conditions of Tribal lands.  

Our solution proposal seeks to provide Chapter planners on the Nation with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) field training, geospatial data literacy, visualization skills, and data management protocols, enabling them to collect relevant geospatial data needed to address community-based issues. This community driven digital sovereignty initiative will make it possible for Tribal planners to collect and manage the many spatial layers that their unique community is comprised of. In other words, data needed to identify development areas and link together local and regional plans that can leverage implementation funding to address the multitude of challenges the Nation faces. Sustainable futures in the Chapters that are cost and resource efficient must be holistically considered approaches that consider Tribal specific spatial relationships and interdependencies of land, water, food and livestock systems, housing, economic growth, community services, infrastructure, and transportation that publicly-available datasets do not address. Without documentation of spatial data done in ways that can be readily accessed and shared among partners, and without data management tools that can systematically assess planning initiatives, development and local economies will continue to stagnate. Without the transfer of formalized spatial tools and evaluation techniques to the Chapters, development coming in from external decision makers will continue to be misaligned with community needs and identities, ultimately colonizing decision-making, and diminishing the Nation’s constitutional sovereignty rights.

Our solution is to work with planners from Tuba City, Arizona (To’Nanees’Dizi Local Government, the pilot project site) to develop a suite of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mobile applications, web-based mapping solutions, and cloud-based geodatabase management training guides, best practices, and tools based around their current and future geospatial data needs to help them design and implement innovative community development plans.

Mobile applications will be developed using Esri’s Field Maps and Survey123, both of which are available for Android and iOS cell phones and tablets and do not require cell phone coverage to use. Field Maps will allow planners to capture and edit geospatial point, line, and polygon data in the field. Data can be collected by simply tapping on a location or by walking or driving around, streaming the data collection effort. A form, based on attributes or characteristics related to the captured geospatial data, can also be attached to the collected geospatial data. Survey123, a form-centric application, will be used to develop simpler mobile applications. The Survey123 application development platform also allows for the development and deployment of traditional surveys that do not need a spatial component, making it a more relevant choice for community-based surveys and outreach initiatives that involve soliciting feedback from members of the community.

To aid in decision-making processes that are reliant on a spatial understanding of the land, we propose developing online maps and data dashboards to display pertinent data collected in the field. Geospatial data, collected via Field Maps and Survey123, can be dynamically linked to various Esri web maps and data dashboards managed by the Chapter. Real-time data displays can ensure that planners design their data collection workflows in a manner where data collection efforts are not redundant or can be better targeted or designed to address issues that the Chapter is trying to address. Through the visualization of geospatial data using web maps and data dashboards, spatial information can be more easily distributed between different decision-making entities within the Chapter. Additionally, visualizing data on maps and utilizing built-in chart and graph generators in data dashboards will allow planners and other decision-makers to better understand spatial patterns and to gain a more formalized spatial understanding of the land.

Finally, we propose establishing a formal spatial geodatabase management protocol, using Esri’s ArcGIS Online cloud-based server, that will allow planners and other decision-makers to easily locate, query, and analyze geospatial data that was collected in the field. We will work with planners and others within the Chapter that will be collecting, editing, organizing, and using the geospatial data to develop and implement a standardized method for data acquisition, validation, storage, and protection.

All three of the solutions will allow the Chapter to have access to the tools, knowledgebase, and capacity to collect, visualize, analyze, and manage their own geospatial data. This will enable planners in the Chapter to make more spatially informed decisions, knowing that the geospatial data collected and used for projects is decolonized and collected in the context of tribal sovereignty.

Tuba City, our target area, is in the Western Region of the Navajo Nation, sitting approximately 80 miles northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona, 81 miles west of the Grand Canyon and 74 miles south of Lake Powell, Arizona. Tuba City is the largest community on the Nation with a population of 8,372 Chapter residents and serves as the hub for the Western Navajo Agency made up of 18 smaller surrounding Chapters. The area also comprises of 1,064 residents of the Hopi community at Upper Moenkopi and 200 residents of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. Tuba City is the location of the Western Navajo Fair, the host for festivals and celebrations, a tourist destination to see real Dinosaur tracks, and the gateway of all there is to explore between Flagstaff, the north rim of the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, and the Four Corners area.

Part of Tuba City is within the Bennett Freeze area, where a 40-year ban on all development affected the lives of nearly 10,000 Navajo people. Although the development freeze was lifted in 2009, people in the area continue to suffer. The stagnation created by the Bennett Freeze has resulted in a growth rate in housing of only 5.7 percent since 2000. In recent years COVID-19 impacted the Navajo People at higher per capita rates than any other community in the country, resulting in high mortality rates because of overcrowding in homes with inadequate ventilation, insulation, and plumbing facilities. According to the 2022 American Community Survey, 22.8 percent of the population of Tuba City lives under the federal poverty line (compared to 13.1 percent in the state of Arizona and 12.5 percent in the U.S.). Additionally, the unemployment rate in Tuba City is twice as high as the U.S. (10.4 percent compared to 5.3 percent respectively).

The To’Nanees’Dizi Local Government (referred to also as the Chapter) functions to manage and plan for development in Tuba City in a manner that supports self-empowerment and a self-sustaining economy. One year ago, the Chapter contracted with NPDC to develop a 40-acre parcel withdrawn by the Chapter for community development. NPDC has worked closely with the Chapter, local groups, Elders, UArizona’s Tribal Extension field agents and Change Labs, and a Navajo owned non-profit small business incubator on planning, design, and grant writing to secure additional funding for the project’s implementation. As a group, we have gradually aligned to prioritize our design work around economic development in this area because this community is entirely dependent on sales tax to fund the bigger community development needs.

Our shared actives have revealed capacity-building limitations due to the existing conditions of the built environment such as exorbitant construction costs, undocumented land allotments, underdeveloped infrastructure, and the housing supply shortage. Most, if not all these limitations, have been identified by the Chapter as ones that they could more easily address by having a formalized geospatial data collection system, display, and analysis solution.

NPDC is a collaborative partnership at the University of Arizona including the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA), the Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office (NPTAO), Cooperative Extensions Tribal Extension Office and the Office of Native American Initiatives and Tribal Engagement (NAITE). Together, we work with Native American and Indigenous communities across Arizona to carry out the University of Arizona’s Land Grant Mission by providing planning and design technical assistance in the built environment in ways that respect and honor Indigenous culture, people and the places they inhabit.  

NPDC carries out its work by; training students of architecture, planning and landscape architecture to work effectively with Tribal communities; increasing retention and recruitment of Native American students in CAPLA’s degree programs; and by running studios and internship programs to provide design, planning and capacity building services to Tribal communities. Education, training, community outreach and community driven design are at the core of what we do. We are positioned well to deliver the solution because we have the expertise to train and teach the technology and design, and our methodology ensures transfer of this knowledge to the local community being served. Using our NPDC partnership with UArizona’s Cooperative Extensions Tribal Extension office, we can educate Tribal field agents, living and working in these communities, on the capability and impact of GIS and Geospatial data systems, reach Navajo adult learners across the Nation, and engage them in a two-part professional skill building course. Training will be provided using two existing courses in CAPLA by opening an online enrollment option for Navajo adult learners. First, CAPLA's fall GIS course will teach software basics, and secondly, the spring semester Community Engagement elective, a course focused on cultural literacy, Tribal sovereignty, data collection and assessment, will be used to pair planners with students to build the database through a community driven participatory design process and field work.  

The To’Nanees’Dizi Local Government, has agreed to test pilot this solution and enroll their Chapter Community Planner in these courses. Tuba City is identified by the Navajo Nation as a Primary Growth Area, as measured through population growth, increased business activity and increased traffic. These indicators point to Tuba City as a place where business activity is increasing in size and developing quicker than the larger region, and the Navajo Nation has given Tuba City this designation to assist policymakers in their decision-making around the allocation of resources to support this area. The To’Nanees’Dizi Local Government is empowered with one of two Alternative Forms of Government (AFOG), and among its five elected Chapter Officials, there is a legacy of strong leadership and deep roots in the Tuba City community.  Piloting our program here is ideal because we have a well-established relationship with the community, this Chapter has the capacity to carry out locally informed plans, and we have documented alignment with the plans of the Nation.

For the past year, we have been highly engaged with the Chapter, community groups and residents of Tuba City.  We assisted the Chapter and Change Labs in writing two collaborative grants, brought three different student groups from our college into the community to participate in community engagement activities, and are in the final stages of completing our design work on the 40-acre community parcel. Partnering with the Chapter to pilot this new geospatial data program is an extension of services and work already established with this community. Through the design process of the community parcel it became apparent to all parties involved that the Chapter did not have readily available access to relevant local geospatial data needed for project planning and decision-making purposes. If relevant local spatial data layers were available, they were oftentimes in the form of paper-based maps or decentralized amongst different departments or offices within the Chapter or the Nation.

On the other hand, geospatial data collected and maintained by non-Tribal governmental agencies were either not at the scale (size) needed for any project-planning purposes or were contextualized in a manner that had no cultural relevance to the Chapter. In recognition of this, our pilot is an iteration that adds cultural specificity by working with the Chapter to identify options to develop a formal geospatial data collection, display, and management process that meets their needs and specifications.     
Why are you applying to Solve? (Required)

While we are piloting in Tuba City, our goal is to extend this service to all regional Tribes. We have identified need in legal and regularly matters, monitoring and evaluation, public relations, and technology.

Legal and Regulatory:
We will need to develop agreements and legal protections around data and policies for Tribal engagement. For our organization, much of this can be accomplished within the University of Arizona, but we want to be certain that our Tribal partners have the legal assistance they need to ensure their needs are met to their satisfaction and that their data can remain sovereign.

Monitoring and Evaluation:
We will need funding to hire a staff person, more than likely a Native American graduate student from the University of Arizona, who can monitor and evaluate our solution and educational outcomes. We will also develop an adaptive management system for how we will monitor and evaluate progress.

Public Relations:
In our experience, the success of outreach-based initiatives depends entirely on trusted relationships and invitations into collaborative partnerships. As an outsider, we depend on connecting with at least one person that will invite us into the community and remain committed to the project by providing feedback and communication between us and the community. Tribal maps can include data layers that retain cultural knowledge including place naming in the native language, storytelling overlays, even symbols and colors that are meaningful to the culture or history of the place. Public relations assistance can help us reach the Tribal partners we need in the communities we serve who can inform how we respectfully engage with this content and best facilitate interaction with the Elders and educators from within the community that can develop this content for their Tribe.  

We also need to market and promote our work to attract funding to support this program long term. In our pilot program, we can bring community planners into our classes as a community engagement and outreach activity, but ultimately, we would like to create a certificate program that includes a scholarship for the Tribal learner, to provide equipment, to cover student and instructor travel to do field work, and to support a student intern to continue for 3 months with the community building their geospatial data. We would like to maintain that the cost of the course is free to Native American and Indigenous people who are in the position of being a community planner regardless of any degree or educational background.

Technology:
We will need iPad’s (or similar) to loan to students, community members, and the Tribal planning department who will all at some point of the project be doing field work to collect geospatial data. We will need to ensure that the planner has a laptop computer that is powerful enough to work with the data. Finally, we will also need assistance in providing Tribal communities with a subscription to Esri and their cloud-based data storage system that is protected to ensure data security.

Dr. Smith was added to the NPDC team a year ago to provide expertise in ecological restoration of Tuba City Chapter Tract, and has been working with us on the Navajo Nation ever since.  Dr. Smith has provided expertise to this project in mapping, site analysis and Tribal engagement.  Dr. Smith operates Pointer Consulting, LLC, a geospatial mapping and database design service for private, public, government and Tribal communities.

For most municipalities in the United States our Solve solution is not ground-breaking. Local, state, and federal governmental agencies are generally awash in the availability of digital or online geospatial data and have at least a cursory understanding of how to use this data to make more informed decisions to address their constituencies issues. Currently, the Chapter, has no formal geospatial data, collected by planners within the Chapter, to better inform their planning decisions and to open opportunities for services for individual Chapter members and the Chapter as an entire community. Data, if it is available, is oftentimes housed in disparate departments, are in a format that relies on outdated technology to properly display on digital maps or are simply paper-based and/or are included in a .pdf file with no geospatial reference. All these situations lead to a geospatial data management system that is either non-existent or proves to be incredibly onerous to use.

To address this lack of access to relevant and Indigenous contextualized geospatial data, which is digitized, readily accessible, and easily shared amongst different agencies, we seek to work with planners and other representatives from the Chapter to develop a series of classroom and field-based training initiatives aimed at equipping Tribal representatives with the knowledge, tools, and requisite skills to collect, represent, store, and manage geospatial data that is relevant to solving their community’s issues.

While our pilot specifically targets one Chapter found on the Nation, we aim to use this pilot experience as our baseline that will help guide future redevelopment, revision, or rethinking of our project materials, trainings, tools taught, and our partners at the chosen Chapter’s learning goals and outcomes. At the conclusion of this pilot project, we hope to use the experience as a catalyst for engaging with other Chapters on the Nation as well as working with the Nation as a whole, creating an integrated network of geospatial data collection, representation, analysis, and management literacies that will allow the Nation to make data-informed decisions at multiple scales. In essence, we seek to empower those on the Nation working to address the litany of issues that are being faced by facilitating their transition from traditional paradigms of geospatial data collection, representation, and management to one that moves them closer to the data revolution that has been and will continue to happen around them. By allowing the Chapter, and eventually the Nation, to collect, represent, and manage geospatial data on their own terms, we are seeking to change the landscape of historical geospatial data management and dissemination in the Chapter by introducing skills related to the collection of contemporary data needed as well as the digitalization of historical data, removing the need for non-Native individuals to interpret the significance or Tribal appropriateness of names.

For many residents that reside within the Chapter’s limits there is no formal recognizable address for the places that they live due to a tradition of informal property ownership records as well as the lack of names on roads, resulting in no formal address numbering system. In meetings with planners from the Chapter we have learned that community members without a formal address are barred from gaining access to social programs, cannot register to vote, and cannot apply and receive other government-based services such as license plates for cars and government issued IDs. Additionally, the lack of formal addresses makes it hard for emergency services (police, ambulance, and fire department) to navigate to community members places of residences in cases of emergencies.

While the Chapter has many geospatial needs, developing the capability to formalize addresses was noted as the most pressing issue outlined by planners and other municipal representatives. While Google has developed a worldwide address code tool obtained from their open-source Plus Code tool, that allows Chapter members to generate a Google-based code from the location of their residence that can be navigated to and used as proof as address in many Chapters, we have found that wide spread adoption of the plus code system within the Nation as a whole is limited due to a fundamental mistrust in having a large technology corporation mapping Indigenous lands and the frustration that addresses created using the tool are devoid of Indigenous meaning or context. Dalene Redhorse, an addressing specialist for the Rural Utah Project is quoted in a yes! article entitled Delivering Addresses (and Access) to the Navajo Nation that there is skepticism about exploitation of Native Americans and that there is a feeling on the Nation that you “Don’t let the white man map your homes”.

In realization that other addressing efforts have failed - due to mistrust of the technology or due to their top-down nature - barring Tribal members from participating in civic functions or gaining access our theory of change is predicated on the idea that planners from the Chapter should be given the tools to make address and other geospatial data collection efforts ones that are culturally relevant bottom-up initiatives. Though our pilot program starts with working the planners at the Chapter to develop the geospatial tools, trainings, and management for formalizing Tribal appropriate road names and assigning address numbers, our long-term objective is to create competencies within the Chapter and wider community, empowering them to take control of the geospatial data collection, analysis, and management, alleviating the lack of trust and lack of cultural appropriateness of data collected or represented by non-Natives.

In a broad sense our impact goal is recognition. Our Solve proposal seeks to initially provide planners at the Chapter with the tools that will allow them to ensure that all the members of their Chapter are able to be fully recognized through the formalization of an address that is associated with where these individuals live. A formal address provides recognition via access to civic rights, social programs, and provisions of other public services. Progress, related to recognition, will be tracked based on the total number of individuals, households, or tracts of land that the Chapter is able to assign a formal address to.

As part of the geospatial data collection process, our partners with the Chapter, hope to collect social, economic, and other demographic data related to those that reside at the residence. We will develop proper training of data collection and management protocols before this process is undertaken to remove ourselves from sensitive data collection efforts. Through our trainings, we will be able to track the geospatial knowledge of those participating in our Solve project and upon completion of the training, participants will be given the opportunity to develop their own geospatial application that will allow them to collect relevant data related to addresses and household characteristics.

With a better social and demographic understanding of their community, planners can begin to better understand spatial and social characteristics of place, using quantitatively accurate geospatial and other tabular datasets that they create. There are a multitude of UN Sustainable Development goals that can be addressed and measured by planners at the Chapter after the address formalization process including No Poverty, Good Health and Well-Being, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, and Partnerships for the Goals to name a few. Since we are proposing a pilot program, our impact goals will focus specifically on the geospatial data collection, representation, analysis, and management training and dissemination program itself. Our initial indicators of the training program’s success will be based on pre- and post-training assessments measuring participants’ GIS and data management competencies as well as the quality and amount of geospatial data programs that planners at the Chapter develop after participating in the trainings.

The core technology that are Solve proposal relies on is Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Specifically, we will utilize desktop, online, and data management GIS solutions developed by the software company Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) to create a suite of mobile applications, web maps, and cloud-based GIS data management geodatabases. Mobile applications will be developed to allow planners at the Chapter to collect relevant geospatial data (point, lines, and polygons) and characteristics of this data in form of related tables in the field. Mobile applications can be downloaded on either smart phones or tablets and run on either the iOS or Android platforms. An advantage, of using mobile applications for geospatial data collection, is that cell phone service or access to wi-fi is not necessary for accurate geographic data collection, which is important for the more rural areas of the Chapter.

Once geospatial data is collected, representation and analysis will be undertaken using either ESRI’s ArcGIS Pro desktop software or ArcGIS Online web mapping program based on the complexity of the analysis. Both solutions allow planners and other municipal workers to produce online maps that can be easily shared between and amongst governmental agencies, the public, and other entities or paper-based maps that can be used for community or other governmental meetings.     

Finally, geospatial data will be stored and managed using ESRI’s ArcGIS Online cloud-based geospatial platform. The Chapter will gain access to an ESRI organization account, based on being a Tribal governmental entity, that will allow them to set up multiple users. Each user will have access to all the geospatial data stored on the cloud, negating the need for different departments to contact one another for geospatial needs. Currently, the “geospatial” data that exists within the Chapter is found on .pdf maps with no digital data sets.

Though we are utilizing a modern and westernized technological solution in our Solve pilot program proposal, our conversations with planners at the Chapter have revolved around the idea that we are working to develop a training program that democratizes data collection. Recognizing that we are providing training on geospatial data collection, representation, and management tools that will allow our tribal partners to identify culturally appropriate place names and characteristics that are oftentimes not found in colonized data sets that are publicly available. In essence we hope to allow tribes to embed tribal understandings and stories of place in formal geospatial datasets. 

Arizona, statewide.

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Our Solution team includes the following:

Part time CAPLA faculty, part time NPDC

• Garrett Smith, SOLVE Project Lead 
• Laura Carr, NPDC co-founder and Program Coordinator
• Kelly Smith, Grant writing and research associate

Full time NPDC staff

• Greg Veitch, Project Manager

Part time NPDC student interns

• Laura Darby, MArch 2025
• (1 additional position to be filled as the project develops)

Full time Tuba City Chapter

• Nelson Cody, Community Development Manager
• Community Development assistant

Full time NPDC partnership

• Trent Teegerstrom, Associate Director for Tribal Extension Programs
• Courtney Crosson, Director, Drachman Institute
• Claudia Nelson, Director, Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office

We are applying in the prototype category. We have been working with Tuba City for 1 year.  Dr. Smith has over 15 years of experience in GIS / Geospatial Data design, and has taught the GIS courses at CAPLA for 3 years.  Laura Carr has conducted Tribal engagement studios in CAPLA for 6 years.  Our solution builds on our experience and we will begin development of our solution this summer.

Tribal communities, consist of more than 30 percent of Arizona’s land base, and yet Native American students make up just 3.5 percent of all students at UArizona, and just 1.1 percent of students in CAPLA. The American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers estimates that the number of licensed architects that are enrolled members of a Tribe is less than 50 nationwide. As Tribal communities plan for sustainable futures, Native people need to lead in architecture and community planning, and non-Natives in these fields need to know who their client is and what it means to be from that Native community as together they face decisions that impact land and people in critical ways.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of NPDC and we are committed to honoring the contributions of Indigenous communities and Tribal organizations. We acknowledge the historical injustices Native Americans have faced and strive to create an inclusive environment where Indigenous voices are respected and empowered.

NPDC actively engages in partnerships with Indigenous communities to promote mutual understanding and collaboration. We integrate Indigenous knowledge systems into our practice, curriculum and outreach agenda, recognizing their contemporary relevance.

We prioritize equitable access to education and support services for Indigenous students and celebrate their cultural identities. Through transparent and collaborative relationships, we work towards advancing social justice and inclusion for all members of our community, including Indigenous peoples.

Diversity and inclusion within our staff, organization and partnerships demonstrates how we ourselves practice what we seek to accomplish.

NPDC carries out our diversity and inclusion mission by:

•  Graduating culturally adept and literate future design professionals prepared to work with diverse clients and communities.
• Increasing Native American and Indigenous student representation, retention and graduation rates across CAPLA’s degree programs
• Working with Native American and Indigenous communities to plan and deign the built environment in ways that respect and honor indigenous culture, people and the places they inhabit.
• Informing design with research that conserves resources, restores land and builds local capacity.
• Supporting Native American Sovereignty to control their resources and decision making processes.

Our solution proposal to bring geospatial database tools, education and training to Tribal communities exemplifies how we carry out our mission.  Providing Tribal communities with the tools they need to make the developmental changes they want to see is a fundamental step towards decolonizing the decision-making processes on Tribal lands.  The built environment can empower a community by restoring cultural identity and pride. Our SOLVE proposal can impact the built environment to positively reflect how a community expresses their values and aspirations, where they gather to celebrate or carry on traditions, how they sustain themselves, or establish a home.

Partners, Channels, People and Access
The Native Peoples Design Coalition (NPDC) is a university partnership including the Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office (NPTAO), the Office of Native American Advancement & Tribal Engagement (NAATE), Cooperative Extensions Tribal Extension Office, the Drachman Institute, and the College of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning (CAPLA). Our partnership supports our operations, connects us to experts across academia and practice, and connects us with Tribal community clients who provide mentorship and help us build trusting relationships.

Cost Structure
Our project delivery method brings client requests together with CAPLA coursework. NPDC runs two academic design studios each year (spring and fall) and one interdisciplinary lecture course. Using this structure, we offer educational packages at little to no cost to community members and facilitate all pre-design work (including project visioning, community workshops, documentation and mapping, project-based research, and architecture and planning conceptual design), training, and relationship building. By linking our activities with coursework, our University-mandated overhead expenses are much lower.

Key Activities
NPDC provides design and planning services and workforce development by (1) training Native and non-Native future architects, planners, and designers in community-based design processes; (2) increasing graduation rates of Native American and Indigenous students enrolled in CAPLA’s degree programs through paid internship, mentoring, and acknowledging the contributions of Native American communities to our College coursework and activities; (3) connecting Tribal communities to the resources within the university; (4) informing design with research that conserves resources, restores lands and builds local capacity.

Types of Interventions
The services we provide for direct benefit to our Tribal partners include pre-design (needs assessment, programming, and site analysis), feasibility studies, conceptual design in architecture and landscape architecture, exhibits, curricular support, community-based participatory design, and grant writing for project implementation.

Value Proposition
We offer value to our clients by informing their projects with in-depth site, program, and conceptual development that is community driven, authentic, and connected to place. Through our University partnerships, we have access to the best research, outreach, mentorship, continuing education, and technical assistance programs available to Native American Tribes in Arizona. Our program connects University resources to Tribal community needs through built environment solutions, which greatly increases the long-term success of Tribal community goals. Our work provides a necessary component of development between identification of community needs and implementation of built solutions; the schematic design packages we create move projects from ideas to reality, strengthening grant and RFP applications, fundraising campaigns, and communicating design development needs with professional firms.  Most importantly, through working with us, our clients are funding NPDC’s mission and vision, and that is in alignment with seven generational philosophy held by most Native American and Indigenous community groups.

The University of Arizona is a land grant institution with technical assistance and initiative funding for rural communities across Arizona. Our NPDC mission aligns with the University’s strategic plan, which amplifies our impact through in-kind donations for grant writing and access to a larger University community and professional network. Our hybrid format of coursework and student internships allow us to bring in funding with less University-mandated overhead, which allows us to use more funding for direct benefit to our students and clients. We are housed in the Drachman Institute, a department within CAPLA, where we are provided space and support staff. Our project coordinator and collaborators all have faculty appointments in CAPLA; collectively, these resources provide our Coalition with long-term stability.

Currently, we are in the second year of a two-year University Provost Investment Fund grant, awarded based demonstrated proof of concept and potential for growth and impact. In two years of operations, we have received two state AIA awards, won the 2024 international Solar Decathlon competition, a CAPLA grass-roots investment grant, project funding from our partnerships, and one sponsored project. We are actively looking to grow our capacity by applying to grants and foundations.  

We have financial challenges faced by our organization in carrying out our mission.  First, the communities most in need of assistance do not have funding available to pay for assistance. Second, because research has historically exploited Tribal communities, we look only at funding that provides direct Tribal benefit. Third, our mission includes community-engaged participatory design, training, education, and career mentorship, all of which are more time-intensive, but critical to building communities and workforce capacity. Therefore, we need to raise money to cover all gaps in providing our services.

To demonstrate the success of our model, consider the following project completed in 2022 through the NPDC partnership and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Department of Health Services Sewa U’usim program. Sewa U’usim is a community-based prevention and early intervention counseling support services program, located on the Tribally-owned Mochik Ranch. NPDC introduced a student-based participatory masterplan program to guide ranch expansion and enhance integral elements of therapeutic services. To ensure correct cultural compatibility, Daniel Vega, a University student and member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, served as a cultural advisor for the Mochik Ranch project. 

The results of this project were rewarding for all. The students had the invaluable experience of working directly with Tribal members. The Tribe secured grant funding for the construction of a new learning center at the ranch. This collaboration was receipt of the 2022 AIA Community Design Award. After serving as cultural advisor on this project, Daniel Vega entered the CAPLA program and is now graduating with a Masters of Architecture degree.