Urban Design Forum

What Urban Design Forum does

Urban Design Forum (legal entity: Urban Design Forum, Inc.) is a New York-based private nonprofit civic membership organization founded in 1978 as the Institute for Urban Design by Ann Ferebee at the First National Conference on Urban Design. In 2014 it reunified with the separately spun-off Forum for Urban Design under the unified Urban Design Forum name. The organization operates as a member-powered convener of 1,100+ civic leaders and 50+ company members drawn primarily from architecture, engineering, planning, and development firms (AECOM, AKRF, Arup, Gensler, KPF, Snohetta, SOM, Studio Gang). A small staff of 10–15 led by Executive Director Daniel McPhee and a governance board chaired by James von Klemperer (KPF) and AJ Pires (Alloy Development) deliver programs in fellowship, study trip, publication, and community design formats.

The Forum's core products are program-based rather than technology-based. Anchor offerings include the Forefront Fellowship (an annual 25-person interdisciplinary cohort partnered with NYC agencies on a rotating theme), Global Exchange (peer-city study trips to Copenhagen, Tokyo, Mexico City), the Local Center (a community design network co-developed with the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development's 80+ member organizations), New City Critics (a writers fellowship with The Architectural League), Public Works (civic leader convenings), and Next New York (policy idea development). Outputs include the Vision for a Better City publication platform and project-specific deliverables such as the 2012 Venice Biennale US Pavilion presentation. There is no proprietary software product, no AI model, and no platform architecture; the organization is fundamentally a convening and publishing institution.

Revenue is derived from four streams: individual member dues, company memberships and a Director's Circle sponsorship tier, foundation grants (Charles H. Revson, Mellon, Graham, Kornfeld, Lily Auchincloss, National Grid, Robert Sterling Clark), and public funding (NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with NYC City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Geographic focus is the New York City region with international peer-city engagement through Global Exchange.

Name

Urban Design Forum

Legal name

Urban Design Forum, Inc.

Website

https://urbandesignforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urban Design Forum (Urban Design Forum, Inc.) is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 1978 that convenes 1,100+ civic leaders and 50+ design/development firms through fellowships, peer-city study trips, community design partnerships, and policy publications focused on New York City's built environment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Design Advocacy Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Urban design advocacy
• Civic leadership development
• Professional fellowship programs
• Community design partnerships
• Membership convenings

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual and company membership fees provide access to the organization's network of 1,100+ civic leaders, programming, events, and professional development opportunities.
2. Foundation Grants and Support: Major foundation support from Charles H. Revson Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Graham Foundation, Kornfeld Foundation, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, National Grid Foundation, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, and NYC Department of Cultural Affairs funds community design efforts, fellowships, and public programming.
3. Corporate Sponsorship and Company Memberships: Company membership program offers organizations access to the global network of design, planning, and development leaders; Director's Circle and individual supporter contributions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Design Forum is a member-powered civic organization that convenes architects, planners, developers, public officials, and journalists through fellowships, convenings, neighborhood partnerships, and policy research. It sells individual and company memberships and delivers flagship programs (Forefront, Global Exchange, Local Center, New City Critics, Public Works, Next New York) supported by foundation grants and public funding.

Product overview

Urban Design Forum is a member-powered organization offering a portfolio of professional programs and community initiatives rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Forefront Fellowship (annual leadership development for urban design professionals), Global Exchange (international study trips and knowledge sharing), Local Center (community design network in partnership with ANHD), New City Critics (writers fellowship with The Architectural League), Public Works (civic convenings), and Next New York (policy innovation). The organization also publishes research and proposals including the Vision for a Better City platform. These programs are delivered through convenings, fellowships, neighborhood partnerships, and policy work—not through a software platform or technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Forefront: Annual professional fellowship cultivating emerging leaders in urban design, development, policy, and advocacy.
• Global Exchange
• Local Center
• New City Critics
• Public Works
• Vision for a Better City

Products and services

• Individual Membership Annual membership program for civic leaders (architects, planners, public officials, journalists, scholars) providing access to the Forum's 1,100+ member network, events, programs, and professional development opportunities.
• Company Membership Corporate membership tier for architecture, engineering, development, and design firms (e.g., AECOM, Gensler, KPF, Snøhetta, SOM, Studio Gang) providing access to the global design/development network, advisory roles, programming input, and thought-leadership visibility.
• Forefront Fellowship An annual professional fellowship cultivating 25 emerging leaders in urban design, development, policy, and advocacy through a 10-month interdisciplinary cohort investigating how design can address a social or political challenge facing New York City.
• Global Exchange A program fostering dialogue between New York and peer cities (Tokyo, Copenhagen, Mexico City, London) pioneering new approaches to housing, infrastructure, and open space, delivered through study trips and the Big Swings / Fast Forward cohorts.
• Local Center A community-design network in partnership with the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development that brings together neighborhood leaders, designers, and government agencies to realize local visions for public space, providing technical assistance, funding, and connections across 80+ community groups.
• New City Critics A writers fellowship in partnership with The Architectural League of New York that empowers a new generation of diverse voices in urban criticism through writing, research, and criticism cycles.
• Public Works A program that sparks conversations with civic leaders on built-environment initiatives shaping the public good, hosting panel discussions, tours, capstone presentations, and the annual Action Dinner.
• Next New York A program rallying New Yorkers to confront defining issues facing the city, gathering Fellows for candid conversations and convening working groups to develop forward-thinking policy ideas (Rewire, Good Form, Streets Ahead, Shape Shift, Work Force, Maintaining, Onward, Housing Question).

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,100+ civic leaders connected through membership network
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development (ANHD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with ANHD on the Local Center, a community design network supporting neighborhood organizations in realizing public space projects that celebrate local cultures and histories. ANHD is a member organization of 80+ community groups across NYC focused on affordable housing and equitable neighborhoods.
• Van Alen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with Van Alen Institute on Neighborhoods Now (2020-2022), a pandemic-response initiative supporting local organizations in leading pandemic recovery in their neighborhoods.
• NYC Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency partner for the 2026 Forefront Fellowship (Living Routes) exploring how to transform public spaces into living, adaptive landscapes of care. Also partner on Open Streets and Green Infrastructure programs.
• NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity agency partner for the Forefront Fellowship investigating how older adult housing developments can support older adults to live in their homes and communities with dignity and autonomy.
• NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the New Loops Forefront Fellowship (2022) on reimagining waste management in NYC. Fellows worked in partnership with DSNY to develop research and recommendations for residential waste management.
• The Architectural League of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with The Architectural League on the New City Critics writers fellowship, empowering a new generation of urban critics through a program combining writing, research, and criticism.
• NYC Mayor's Office of ResiliencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Turning the Heat Forefront Fellowship (2019) exploring how urban practitioners can advance climate justice principles across NYC, particularly addressing extreme heat in heat-vulnerable neighborhoods.
• NYC Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy InitiativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Cooperative Works Fellowship (2020) exploring how to support MWBEs and workers of color, expand worker cooperatives, and democratize economic resources for an inclusive economy.
• NYC Mayor's Office of M/WBEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with the Mayor's Office of M/WBE for the Cooperative Works Fellowship focused on advancing economic justice through support for minority-owned businesses and workers of color.
• NYC Department of Homeless ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Shelter for All Forefront Fellowship (2018) exploring how urban design can strengthen shelters, intake centers, and supportive housing to address homelessness.
• AIA New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with AIA New York for the Shelter for All Fellowship to bring together design professionals and city agencies addressing homelessness through architecture and design.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Food PolicycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Neighborhood Fare Fellowship (2021) exploring food equity through the built environment, working with the Mayor's Office of Food Policy and Department of City Planning.
• NYC Department of City PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with Department of City Planning for Neighborhood Fare Fellowship research on strengthening community-based food infrastructure through city government, community leaders, and designer collaboration.
• Citicorp CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite of the First National Conference on Urban Design in 1978 where the Institute for Urban Design was formally launched.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Municipal Art Society of New York: New York's longest-running civic advocacy organization for urban design, planning, and historic preservation. Highly comparable as a NYC-focused nonprofit membership forum convening civic leaders and influencing built-environment policy.
• The Architectural League of New York: A 140-year-old NYC nonprofit that runs the New City Critics fellowship jointly with Urban Design Forum. Comparable as a design-focused convening, fellowship, and critique organization serving professional members.
• Van Alen Institute: New York civic design nonprofit that partners with Urban Design Forum on Neighborhoods Now and other community design projects. Comparable as a place-based design research and convening organization with foundation support.
• Regional Plan Association: NYC tri-state regional planning nonprofit producing research, reports, and convenings influencing built-environment policy. Comparable as a nonprofit civic planning think tank working alongside city agencies.
• AIA New York: The NYC chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Partner with Urban Design Forum on the Shelter for All Fellowship, similar operating model as a professional membership body convening designers and influencing policy.
• Center for Architecture Foundation: NYC nonprofit foundation affiliated with AIA New York that runs public programming, fellowships, and exhibitions on architecture and urban design. Comparable as a small civic design education and convening organization.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute: The dominant global real-estate and land-use research and convening organization. Comparable as a membership-based civic forum shaping built-environment policy, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Congress for the New Urbanism: A national nonprofit advocating for walkable, mixed-use urban design. Comparable as a thought-leadership and convening body driving urban design policy and practice across U.S. cities.
• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: A national nonprofit policy research organization focused on land-use, urban planning, and equitable development. Comparable as a research-and-convening nonprofit with grant support influencing urban practice and policy.

Emerging players

• Penny Pritzker's HAE / Smart Growth America: National nonprofit coalition advancing equitable, climate-smart land use. Comparable as a coalition- and convening-driven policy organization working on urban design and equitable development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UDFNYC
• Facebookfacebook.com/UDFNYC
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbandesignforum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-design-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urban Design Forum