Honolulu Community College’s Architecture, Engineering & Construction Technologies program highlights the role of community colleges in preparing nontraditional students for careers in architectural and construction technologies.
Honolulu Community College (HCC) continues to demonstrate the role of community colleges in supporting nontraditional students seeking new career paths. One recent example is a student who, after earning a degree in fashion, returned to HCC to pursue an associate degree in architectural technologies, aligning creative experience with hands-on training in design and construction.
HCC’s Architecture, Engineering & Construction Technologies (AEC) program emphasizes applied learning while integrating students’ diverse perspectives — such as those rooted in art, culture, and lived experience — into spatial design thinking. Supportive faculty and initiatives like Poʻi Nā Nalu, which provides culturally responsive guidance for Native Hawaiian students, have been key in fostering student success and retention.
The story reflects how HCC and similar institutions can expand access to workforce-relevant, equity-centered education, particularly for returning adult learners preparing for roles in architecture, engineering, and the built environment.
FULL STORY: Honolulu CC rekindles student’s design future
Honolulu Community College Celebrates Culture and Sustainability
Honolulu Community College brought together more than 320 students, staff, and community members for a day of Hawaiian cultural activities, music, and sustainability-focused learning at its annual Hoʻolauleʻa celebration.
Honolulu's Iwilei Center Plans for Redevelopment Into Mixed-Use Space
Striving to expand affordable housing options for Oahu residents, Honolulu's Department of Land Management requests to redevelop the Iwilei Center into a mixed-use space.
Growing Green: How Parks and Trees Shape Honolulu’s Future
Honolulu is expanding its urban tree canopy through community-driven park revitalization efforts, emphasizing the environmental, social, and cultural benefits of trees in creating a more resilient and equitable city.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)