Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

What Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation does

The Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (MAPP) is a public academic unit within the University of Maryland, College Park, founded in 1968 and operating from a single campus at 3835 Campus Drive, College Park, MD, minutes from Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis. It delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs across four disciplines — Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, Historic Preservation, and Real Estate Development — anchored by named institutes and research centers including the Colvin Institute for Real Estate Development, the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG), and the Environmental Finance Center (EFC). Complementary applied-learning vehicles include the Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS), which has delivered nearly $1M in project value to Maryland municipalities, and student competitions such as PlaceHack, the Colvin Capstone, and the Colvin Case Study Challenge.

The school's academic product is layered on an externally funded research enterprise rather than a commercial revenue model. Between 2024 and 2026 MAPP secured disclosed research funding of approximately $3.1M from federal agencies (HUD $200K + ~$1M; FTA $1.6M; a six-year EPA award; a $75K Metropolitan Washington COG grant; a $50K Spencer Foundation grant) and private foundations (Wells Fargo Foundation $200K over three years; National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), plus the $2.5B parent-university 'Forward' campaign launched in 2025. Customer segments are undergraduate students, graduate students in four professional disciplines, and continuing-education professionals served via certificate programs, with applied-research service delivery to Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Pennsylvania, and West Virginia municipalities through PALS, EFC, and NCSG partnerships.

Technically, MAPP is not a technology company in the conventional sense. Its differentiated technology surface is concentrated in two areas: (1) an AI-in-architecture curriculum stack integrating third-party generative tools (Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, Autodesk Forma) into studio coursework, pioneered by an AI elective in Fall 2023 and scaled via AI Design Thinking Workshops (150+ students in 2024) and the November 2024 AI + Design Thinking Symposium; and (2) an in-house predictive machine-learning model developed by NCSG to forecast housing instability, displacement risk, and rent increases for tenants along the 16-mile Purple Line corridor, supported by the first-of-its-kind apartment-property database of 17,000 rental units. Governance sits under the University System of Maryland Board of Regents with Dean Dr. Dawn Jourdan reappointed to a second five-year term in 2026.

Name

Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation

Legal name

University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Website

https://arch.umd.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MAPP is a public academic unit at the University of Maryland, College Park delivering undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture, urban planning, historic preservation, and real estate development, with applied research conducted through NCSG, EFC, and the Colvin Institute serving Maryland, D.C., and the Mid-Atlantic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Architecture and Planning

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAJAG

Architecture Schools (within Arts & Design institutions)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Arts, Music & Design Colleges

SECONDARYBPAHAKAD

Urban Planning & Master Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAIANAD

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Housing, Urban Planning & Community Development

SECONDARYEDAHAHAM

Real Estate & Construction Management Schools (within Business Schools)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Business Schools & Management Institutes

SECONDARYEDAHAEAJ

Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

SECONDARYEDAAALAG

Architecture, Planning & Surveying (AIA, Planning, Land Surveyor CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Architecture education
• Urban planning programs
• Historic preservation studies
• Real estate development
• Built environment research

Headquarters

HQ city

College Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (MAPP) delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in architecture, urban studies and planning, historic preservation, and real estate development, along with certificate and high school summer programs. The school also operates applied research centers—including the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG), Environmental Finance Center (EFC), Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, and Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability (PALS)—that deliver community-based planning, design and policy research to Maryland municipalities and regional partners.

Product overview

The School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation offers a comprehensive suite of academic programs and research centers focused on the built environment. The core educational offerings include undergraduate and graduate degrees in Architecture, Urban Studies and Planning, Historic Preservation, and Real Estate Development through the Colvin Institute. The school operates several research centers including the National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG) and Environmental Finance Center (EFC). Beyond traditional academics, the school hosts competitive programs including the annual John B. Colvin Capstone Competition, Colvin Case Study Challenge, and PlaceHack 24-hour design competition. Student work is showcased through thesis prizes and awards. The school has recently expanded into AI education, integrating generative AI tools like Midjourney and Autodesk Forma into studio curricula through dedicated workshops and an AI elective course.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Program
• Urban Studies and Planning Program
• Historic Preservation Program
• Real Estate Development Program
• Certificate Programs
• High School Summer Programs
• PALS Program Campus-wide Partnership for Action Learning in Sustainability delivering planning and design services to Maryland municipalities across 16 disciplines, engaging approximately 350 students and delivering close to $1M in project value to communities.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• National Center for Smart Growth (NCSG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2026Hosting Affordable and Connected Communities 2026 summit on transit, development and anti-displacement in Mid-Atlantic region, convening planners, communities, elected leaders and developers
• Preservation MarylandmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2025Partnership to repurpose the historic Ellicott City Jail, a 170+ year old landmark in Howard County, MD. Groundbreaking expected Spring 2026
• Enterprise Community PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NCSG on Purple Line Corridor Preservation Network to help protect tenants from losing homes to higher rents, eviction or unhealthy living conditions through data-driven intervention
• DNREC Coastal ProgramsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFC prepared report for DNREC on marine resources value expansion in Delaware's ocean and bay waters
• Maryland Historic TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on preservation projects including augmented reality at historic sites
• Prince George's County CongregationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents partnered with local churches (St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Carolina Missionary Baptist Church) to reimagine struggling religious spaces into community hubs
• Healthy NeighborhoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent urban design studio partnership to inform investment goals for Liberty Heights Avenue in West Baltimore
• Prince George's County Department of PlanningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPALS planning studio presented resiliency plan for Langley Park community facing displacement from Purple Line transit
• Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric preservation students researched musical venues and created 'Live! From Prince George's County' documentation
• Monocacy National Battlefield FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture students designed visitor center and observatory at Monocacy Battlefield - winner of foundation prize
• D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's SummitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Matthew Bell presented federal building redevelopment concepts at mayor's economic landscape summit
• National Planning CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Bell and team proposed concept plan for Kennedy Center freeway area to National Planning Commission
• Perkins EastmanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni and professor collaboration on federal building redevelopment proposals and design projects
• Terrapin DevelopmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry mentor for Colvin Capstone Competition helping students develop feasibility studies

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yale School of Architecture: Yale's architecture school is a top-tier peer offering professional architecture degrees with a similar studio-based pedagogy and elite faculty profile.
• MIT School of Architecture and Planning: MIT's architecture and planning school offers comparable graduate and undergraduate programs in architecture, urban planning, and real estate development with a similar research-center structure and federal/industry funding model.
• University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning: Taubman College offers directly comparable architecture and urban planning programs at a public R1 university, with a similarly research-oriented, federally funded model.
• UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design: Berkeley CED covers architecture, planning, and landscape architecture with comparable research centers and a similarly strong public-university research profile.
• UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs — Urban Planning: UCLA Luskin's urban planning program is a peer for MAPP's urban studies and planning offerings, with comparable applied research centers and public university setting.
• Harvard Graduate School of Design: Harvard GSD offers architecture, urban planning, and real estate programs at the graduate level with a similarly multi-disciplinary research-center model and significantly larger endowment and brand.
• Georgia Tech College of Design: Georgia Tech's College of Design houses architecture, urban planning, and real estate development programs with a tech-forward, federally funded research model comparable to MAPP's AI initiatives.
• University of Texas at Austin School of Architecture: UT Austin's School of Architecture offers parallel undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture, planning, and historic preservation at a top public research university.
• Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation: Columbia GSAPP shares an almost identical name and programmatic structure (architecture, planning, preservation), serving as the closest naming and curriculum analog to MAPP.
• Cornell College of Architecture, Art, and Planning: Cornell AAP offers a directly parallel mix of architecture, planning, and real estate programs housed in a single college at a major research university, making it a structural and curricular peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/umdmapp
• Instagraminstagram.com/umdmapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maryland-school-of-architecture-planning-preservation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Maryland School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation