2026-27 new city critics
New City Critics is a fellowship program that empowers new, fearless, and diverse voices to challenge the ways we understand, design, and build our cities. A partnership between Urban Design Forum and The Architectural League of New York, the fellowship supports the development of critics from underrepresented backgrounds through guest lectures and workshops, research guidance, networking, and the production of new writing on a dedicated platform on Urban Omnibus. Through published work and other channels, the fellowship encourages a more expansive conversation on the future of cities.
New City Critics aims to expand who writes about cities and shapes our public imagination. As legacy media shrinks and full-time critics disappear, there are fewer accessible, compelling stories interrogating how cities are made – and for whom. A small circle of voices dominates the existing conversation, with attention to limited topics and a narrow vision of what cities can be. We believe that to build better cities, we need a richer, more representative culture of criticism – one that expands who participates, what stories get told, and how we talk about design, power, and place.
New City Critics aims to develop critical writing on urban design, development, and daily life that reflects the people who live in cities. We need more informed and sustained examination of citymaking in media beyond small professional circles and engaging varied publics. Housing, workplaces, infrastructure, public spaces, and monuments define the contours of our lives. They demand critical attention and a critical imagination expressed through new formats and forums. Our goal is to equip a new generation of critics with essential skills and a meaningful network to make urban processes legible and argue for the city they want to live in.
Structure
Fellows will meet twice each month throughout the 9-month program.
The fellowship is organized into modules, each focused on developing a specific critical skill and new written work. Modules will focus on reading critical texts on the city; writing about urban places and projects; writing with and about actors in citymaking; and reviewing texts, objects, and events.
Fellowship sessions will include conversations and workshops with program advisors, guest writers, editors, advocates, practitioners, and change makers in the built environment. In other sessions, Fellows will develop and workshop their writing together.
The Architectural League, Urban Omnibus, and Urban Design Forum staff will support Fellows’ research and networking across the broader media community and built environment professions.
Fellows will complete regular writing assignments and publish selected work in a dedicated New City Critics newsletter and section on Urban Omnibus_._ Fellows will organize two public programs that highlight topics under investigation and explore the critic’s role in shaping public discourse.
Important Dates
Info Session – Friday, May 29, 2026, 12:00-1:00pm
Finalist Interviews – Week of July 28, 2026
Additional Details
In-Person Sessions
Sessions will be held at Urban Design Forum and Architectural League offices in downtown Manhattan, or offsite with a session speaker. Fellows will be given enough time in advance to schedule travel.
Individual Accommodations
We will work with all accepted Fellows to accommodate individual accessibility requirements, caretaking responsibilities, technology needs, unique health and safety concerns, or other circumstances.
Time Commitment
Fellows will meet in person on Tuesday evenings twice a month in New York City and are required to attend all meeting dates listed in the application portal. If there is an anticipated scheduling conflict, staff must be notified in advance. During the 9-month fellowship, there will be an estimated total of 45 hours dedicated to program sessions, along with an expectation that fellows will commit substantial time outside of sessions for regular office hours with program staff, reading, research, and writing.