Our next mayor must transform New York City’s approach to urban design to achieve housing equity, economic justice, and environmental health. In our 2019-20 program, Shape Shift, we welcome you to share your vision for the built environment under the next mayor. This fall, we will revisit the historic planning shifts that have shaped our city today. Early next year, we will survey international cities pioneering social housing programs, economic regeneration strategies, and public realm revamps. And next spring, we will lead debates on alternative approaches to the present state of planning.

Our fourth Forefront Fellowship explores how urban practitioners can advance climate justice principles across New York City. In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency, Fellows will survey neighborhoods, study buildings, interview local and international stakeholders, and produce creative research on mitigating heat. How can we retrofit buildings, improve open space, and strengthen social infrastructure to tackle the threat of extreme heat?

What does the pandemic reveal about urban design, infrastructure, and governance? And how can we build a more just city for New Yorkers hardest hit by the public health and economic crisis?