A letter from Executive Director Dan McPhee: I may never know this country, but I have loved knowing this city for the past fifteen years.
Posted — November 7, 2024
Our Local Center teams have been working hard to reclaim and activate public spaces across New York City with creative installations, festivals, markets and more.
Posted — October 28, 2024
At the New York City Council Subcommittee on Zoning & Franchises Public Hearing, Urban Design Forum urged the New York City Council to adopt City of Yes as a key step toward a more equitable and fair New York City.
Posted — October 22, 2024
We're pleased to announce AJ Pires has joined Jamie von Klemperer as Co-Chairs of Urban Design Forum. We thank outgoing President Margaret Newman for her service. We are also pleased to welcome Judy Kessler as Treasurer.
Posted — September 12, 2024
Urban Design Forum is thrilled to announce the 48 Fellows in the inaugural Global Exchange cohort: our new fellowship for mid-career executives who will survey the world to take a big swing at New York City’s housing crisis.
Posted — August 6, 2024
Board President Margaret Newman reflects on her tenure at the Forum.
Posted — July 16, 2024
Join our Local Center teams as they launch programming in their newly-designed public spaces.
Posted — July 15, 2024
Three Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx will launch new projects to transform public spaces in under-invested commercial corridors.
Posted — May 6, 2024
Martha Snow reflects on the newest cohort of Local Center teams who are envisioning a new future for our Main Streets.
Posted — May 3, 2024
Please join us in giving our newest board members a warm welcome!
Posted — March 22, 2024
Martha Snow reflects on the latest midpoint shareout for Local Center projects and their work reclaiming public spaces.
Posted — March 20, 2024
We’re thrilled to launch the Forefront Residency, enabling alumni to deepen their work toward building a more equitable city.
Posted — January 18, 2024
Local Center teams share lessons learned from community engagement and where they are headed next.
Posted — December 21, 2023
Gina Lee reflects on a recent tour of the Flatbush African Burial Ground and the power of history in public space.
Posted — November 16, 2023
Martha Snow reflects on a recent Learning Community session among Local Center partners.
Posted — November 16, 2023
Generous support has enabled us to plan and launch four new annual programs in the past year alone.
Posted — September 7, 2023
Daniel McPhee shares how we approached recruiting design teams and preparing our partners to choose from among them.
Posted — July 27, 2023
Five interdisciplinary design teams will support neighborhood organizations in realizing new public space projects that celebrate local cultures and histories.
Posted — July 26, 2023
Martha Snow, in our first Practice Notes, reflects on how we found our five neighborhood partners earlier this year.
Posted — July 26, 2023
Five neighborhood organizations will lead new projects to celebrate local cultures and histories in public space.
Posted — March 23, 2023
Read recent Field Reports from our New City Critics Fellows
Posted — November 16, 2022
Urban Design Forum and ANHD invite organizations to share their interest in a new community design program.
Posted — October 31, 2022
There has never been a more important moment to nurture a new generation of diverse, creative, and informed leaders.
Posted — October 14, 2022
Check out new projects by the 2021 Forefront Fellows.
Posted — August 18, 2022
Remembering Urban Design Forum's founder, Ann Ferebee.
Posted — July 13, 2022
Our citywide updates from our second cycle of Neighborhoods Now.
Posted — July 13, 2022
Urban Design Forum and The Architectural League of New York announce the inaugural Fellows of New City Critics.
Posted — May 26, 2022
Who should join our community as we enter a new chapter in New York City?
Posted — March 24, 2022
Supported by a grant from Wells Fargo, seven community-based teams will lead long-term recovery at the neighborhood scale
Posted — March 17, 2022
Hear from Miranda, our new Director of Member Engagement who's excited to reconnect with our network in the new year.
Posted — January 18, 2022
The Urban Design Forum joins the civic community in mourning the loss of Alex Garvin.
Posted — December 18, 2021
Bed-Stuy Gateway BID, Neighborhoods Now, and Wells Fargo Present Winter Wonderland 2.0, A Holiday Experience.
Posted — November 19, 2021
The New City Critics program aims to empower new, fearless, and diverse voices to challenge the ways we design, plan, and develop our cities.
Posted — November 2, 2021
Meet the 2021 Class of Forefront Fellows made up of designers, community planners, advocates, public health professionals and policy experts.
Posted — September 6, 2021
The Urban Design Forum, an independent membership organization convening civic leaders to debate urban affairs, announced today that James (“Jamie”) von Klemperer had been elected chair of the Board of Directors and Margaret Newman had been elected president of the Board of Directors, effective June 15.
Posted — June 7, 2021
The Urban Design Forum is excited to announce our 2020 Class of Forum Fellows! Our 82 new Fellows are civic leaders shaping dynamic, equitable, and resilient cities around the world. As we build a community of experts wrestling with today’s complex urban challenges, we strive to highlight their creative solutions and exemplary projects across our yearly programming.
Posted — March 30, 2021
Our team at the Urban Design Forum urges our members to condemn anti-Asian hate and stand in solidarity with New York City’s AAPI communities. As architects, planners and developers, we have a responsibility to understand how anti-Asian racism across our nation’s history has shaped our cities.
Posted — March 22, 2021
Urban Design Forum is pleased to announce their latest project, 21 Visions for 2021. This micro-website presents a bold built environment agenda, culminating over a year and a half of work by an interdisciplinary cohort of 46 Forum Fellows.
Posted — March 15, 2021
New community partners in Chinatown, East Village, and South Bronx collaborate with interdisciplinary experts on pandemic recovery. Since April 2020, the initiative has assisted more than 100 restaurants, small businesses, and cultural organizations.
Posted — February 18, 2021
Forumites, At the Urban Design Forum, our focus may be shaping City Hall rather than the Halls of Congress, but we believe our mission is to strengthen our democracy. Design is powerful: it not only shapes our everyday experience; it inspires people to strive for a healthier, happier and more just society. As we begin […]
Posted — January 19, 2021
Forumites, Last week, I cast my vote in a community center in East Williamsburg. I scanned the room and saw people of every age, race, gender, ability, and origin cooperating with and caring for one another. It was a moment that made me proud to be a New Yorker — proud of what we’ve built […]
Posted — November 12, 2020
The Urban Design Forum and Van Alen Institute today launched, a digital toolkit featuring more than 35 designs, guidelines, and strategies to aid safe reopening and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted — October 9, 2020
Urban Design Forum is pleased to announce that WIP Collaborative is the winner of Care for Hudson Square, a recovery initiative in partnership with Hudson Square Properties and Hudson Square Business Improvement District.
Posted — September 15, 2020
The Urban Design Forum is excited to announce some new internal changes to our team!
Posted — August 18, 2020
Meet the 2020 Class of Forefront Fellows who will explore how to support minority- and women-owned businesses.
Posted — August 17, 2020
On behalf of our team at the Urban Design Forum, we want to state that we support the Black Lives Matter movement in confronting police brutality and affirming the dignity and safety of our Black neighbors. We stand in solidarity with the demonstrators, and entreat our elected officials to listen and act on their demands.
Posted — June 2, 2020
Over the last few weeks, our team of four has been working on a plan to mobilize our community to assist with the reopening and recovery of our city. Though we learn new information every day, we are not sitting still.
Posted — May 12, 2020
The Urban Design Forum mourns the loss of Michael Sorkin.
Posted — March 27, 2020
We welcome the 2019 Class of Forum Fellows and look forward to sharing their ideas for the future of the city!
Posted — February 27, 2020
Every year the Forum selects the next generation of urban leaders to investigate how design can address a social or political challenge facing New York City. This year's interdisciplinary cohort will study the intersections of race, class and climate change, and advance new ideas on the role of urban design in a just transition.
Posted — May 15, 2019
We welcome the 2018 Class of Fellows and look forward to sharing their ideas for the future of the city!
Posted — March 18, 2019
We celebrated our 40th anniversary this year with our most ambitious year to date, leading 35 events across six major inquiries. Thank you again for your extraordinary support for the Forum.
Posted — February 8, 2019
On our 40th Anniversary, the Urban Design Forum begins a new chapter on the Bowery. We look forward to welcoming our Fellows in our new space. The Forum now occupies a bright third-floor suite with room to host meetings and gatherings. We welcome your ideas for programs that will activate our new home.
Posted — October 23, 2018
The Urban Design Forum is pleased to announce the addition of five new members to its board of directors: Vincent Chang, Patrice Derrington, Margaret Newman, Nader Tehrani and Weston Walker.
Posted — June 5, 2018
We are thrilled to announce our third class of Forefront Fellows. The Forefront Fellowship promotes the next generation of urban leaders. This year's interdisciplinary cohort will explore how urban design can support homeless populations, engage host communities and end cycles of homelessness.
Posted — April 25, 2018
In the fall of 2016, the Urban Design Forum invited its Fellows and experts to help us craft a vision for the future of mobility in New York City. Within these pages, you’ll find an inventory of imaginative thinking on what our city’s transportation landscape could be.
Posted — February 26, 2018
The Urban Design Forum announced today that James (“Jamie”) von Klemperer has been elected board president, effective immediately. Jamie succeeds Hugh Hardy, who served as president for two years before his unexpected passing in March 2017.
Posted — May 30, 2017
We are thrilled to announce our second class of Forefront Fellows. The Forefront Fellowship promotes the next generation of urban leaders. The cohort will gather monthly, share work, and debate critical issues facing immigrant communities in New York City.
Posted — May 2, 2017
The Urban Design Forum joins the civic community in mourning the loss of Hugh Hardy, who passed away on March 17. Hugh served as a member of our Board for over two decades, and as president of our Board of Directors from 2015 to 2017.
Posted — March 17, 2017
The Urban Design Forum is the proud curatorial partner for the 2017 Times Square Valentine Heart Design competition, led by Times Square Arts.
Posted — January 10, 2017
The Urban Design Forum is delighted to announce the 2016 Class of Fellows, 44 civic leaders shaping dynamic, equitable and resilient cities!
Posted — November 30, 2016
Our mission of shaping dynamic, equitable, and resilient cities is both more pertinent and fragile than ever. We remain committed to creating a venue where civic leaders can safely and candidly advance their ideas. And we will work harder than ever to ensure that all voices are represented – especially those missing a seat at the table.
Posted — November 15, 2016
Designed and developed by Partner & Partners, our new site presents our fellows, events, proposals, and publications on a more flexible and accessible platform.
Posted — October 11, 2016
The Urban Design Forum is pleased to announce the addition of five new members to its board of directors: Michelle Delk, Abby Hamlin, Dev Hawley, Frank Sciame, and Beatrice Sibblies.
Posted — September 21, 2016
Forefront is a new initiative dedicated to promoting the next generation of urban leaders. Over the next nine months, 22 professionals under the age of 40 will gather monthly, share work, and debate critical issues facing New York City.
Posted — April 1, 2016
The Urban Design Forum today announced the launch of Forefront, a new initiative dedicated to cultivating emerging urban leaders under the age of 40. Beginning this year, UDF will invite 20 individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to building thriving, equitable and livable cities to become Forefront Fellows.
Posted — February 2, 2016
The Forum + Institute for Urban Design announced that it has changed its name to Urban Design Forum, effective immediately. The new name represents the merger of the Forum for Urban Design and the Institute for Urban Design, which joined operations in March 2014.
Posted — October 19, 2015
The Forum joins many in the architectural community in mourning the loss of Paul Katz, 57, who passed away suddenly on November 20 from complications to cancer treatment. He was recently elected President of the Board of Directors.
Posted — November 24, 2014
We are pleased to announce that the Forum for Urban Design and Institute for Urban Design have joined forces, effective March 13, 2014. With our newly strengthened membership, we look forward to energized debate around building dynamic, competitive, and cooperative cities.
Posted — March 13, 2014
