Big Swings (2025)
The next cohort of Global Exchange Fellows will continue to build solidarity between New York City and cities across the globe taking “big swings” at their housing crises.
Our Global Exchange fellowship for mid-career leaders surveys the world for bold solutions to New York City’s most intractable problems. The 2025 fellowship will invest in 40 leaders across design, development, policy, law, advocacy, journalism, construction and philanthropy to build bridges between New York City and its peer cities. Fellows will engage with leading global experts, travel to a peer city to study alternative approaches, publish insights, and meet with local decision-makers to champion reform and demand courageous public policy.
Last year, Global Exchange Fellows researched global housing policies that deepened affordability, welcomed new arrivals, built buy-in, cut red tape, and advanced green solutions from cities such as Singapore, Barcelona, and Montevideo. Our next cohort of Fellows will survey the world for courageous leadership on a new set of challenges. Fellows will lead comparative research through a nine-month, 130-hour leadership development program grounded in an experiential learning approach. A 4-day study trip will challenge Fellows to dive deep into Tokyo’s unique housing market through site visits, presentations, and working sessions.
Through exploring the cultural and political dynamics behind housing changes around the world, we will energize decision-makers to better advocate for reform. Our goal is to complement the diligent work of local leaders, weave together diverse perspectives, and support a new generation of leaders to house every New Yorker.
2025 Fellows
Meet the 2025 cohort of urban leaders who will survey the world for courageous leadership on the housing crisis.
Key Questions
Fellows will form working groups based on their interests and expertise, focused on these intersecting topics:
Unleashing Supply: How are governments transforming zoning, building codes, and approval processes to increase density across entire cities?
Planning for Neighborhood Mix: How are cities balancing housing development with open space, infrastructure, workplaces and other uses to build livable neighborhoods outside the urban core?
Adapting Homes: How are cities updating building codes, transforming planning procedures, and retrofitting homes to achieve climate resilience?
Building for Demographic Shifts: How are changing family sizes, aging residents, and growing populations shaping the delivery of new housing types?
Energizing Social Housing: How are governments and resident-led movements building and preserving permanently affordable homes?
Embracing Housing for All: How are cities enshrining a right to housing through public policy, tenant protections, and cultural values?
Calendar
Application & Selection
Application Release March 12
Info Session April 10
Application Deadline May 2
Notification of Results May 23
Program Activities
All dates are full-day activities.
Orientation July 10-11
Workshop July 31
Study Trip September 8-12 [optional]
Workshop October 3
Learning Day October 24
Learning Day November 14
Learning Day December 5
Workshop January 9
Learning Day January 30
Learning Day February 13
Learning Day March 6
Workshop March 27
Final Event April 17
Attendance is required on all dates. Fellows may miss only two dates for successful completion of the program.
Events
11.12.25
Join us for a conversation with Singapore’s Chief Urban Designer on how the city balances density with livability.
07.08.25
Join Urban Design Forum for a conversation on New Zealand’s strategies to increase housing production through upzoning.
09.08.25
Join us to learn from Tokyo’s unique approach to housing and urban planning.
Support Our Work
Lead Sponsor
We thank founding Global Circle Sponsors Apple Bank, CAMBA Housing Ventures, Charney, Cozen O’Connor, Fogarty Finger, HKS, Jamie von Klemperer, KPF, One Architecture, Perkins Eastman, Skylight, Turner Construction, Upside Collab and Zillow.
Global Exchange is made possible with additional support from our Board of Directors, Director’s Circle, and company and individual members. Our programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
To learn more about supporting Global Exchange, please contact Miranda Bellizia, miranda@urbandesignform.org.