2026-2027 New City Critics Fellowship

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 develops 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.

Requirements

New City Critics is intended for people who do not see themselves or their experiences reflected in the fields of criticism, urbanism, and design today. We welcome applications from early- to mid-career writers or urbanists deeply committed to making cities legible to broad audiences.

Fellows will meet twice each month to develop 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.

Fellows will be awarded a stipend of $7,500 for participation in the 9-month fellowship.