We've partnered with the Macaulay Honors College at CUNY to grow the pipeline of students with underrepresented backgrounds in the planning, design, and preservation fields.
New York: City Designed is a year-long program launched in 2024 at the The Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Co-managed by the Design Trust for Public Space, the program aims to give students a deeper understanding of New York City as a metropolis that has been purposefully designed over centuries.
With a mixture of experiential learning, workshop-based problem-solving, internship placements, and in-depth site visits, the program will equip participants with the skills to be agents of change, to access jobs in the planning and design sectors, and to take power as residents of New York City.
NYCD seeks to introduce first generation students, students of color, immigrants, and students from other historically marginalized groups to opportunities in the design sectors and have real-world experience to prepare them for these careers. The program includes three distinct parts, including an overview seminar in the fall, a place-based workshop in the spring, and cohort-based internships in the summer. Students can participate segmentally or in the entire sequence, depending on their interests and needs. The program can form as a core part of the curriculum for an aspiring architect or planner or it can augment an existing area of study. Students will finish the program with a greater understanding of the city as a designed space, and through their future work, in all fields, advocate for a more just and equitable New York.
Spearheaded by a steering committee of city agencies, non-profits, and private-sector design and architecture firms, many participating organizations host students through funded on-site internship placements. The 8-10 week City Design Internship Program also includes site visits, lectures, and networking events. Summer 2024 City Design Internship Applications were open for current Macaulay Honors sophomore and junior students across CUNY campuses in March. MEET THE FIRST COHORT HERE!
This project is sponsored by the Macaulay Honors College Foundation, the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation, and the ABNY Foundation
2024 Advisory Committee Members:
NYC Department of City Planning, NYC Mayor's Office (Public Realm), NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Historic House Trust of New York City, Times Square Alliance, Grand Central Partnership, HR&A, 3x3 Design, TenBerke, and WXY Studio.
Young people, people of color, and others with underrepresented backgrounds have been historically excluded from city-making conversations that impact their communities the most. Building on Design Trust’s experience in seeding agency to new forms of leadership, we are thrilled to partner with Macaulay’s exceptional student body and cultivate their unique perspectives.