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M.S. Architecture and Urban Design

Overview

The Urban Design Program is a three-semester degree in the multidisciplinary study of cities, regions, infrastructures, and ecosystems. The program focuses on the city as an agent of resilient change and on the role of design in redefining the twenty-first century urban landscape, advancing new paradigms of research, practice, and pedagogy to meet the challenges of climate change, rapid urbanization, and social inequality. Students and faculty in the MSAUD program work to integrate and underscore the essential links between public space, social justice, and ecological systems. The program asks the venerable and necessarily shifting question: what is “the good city?”— reframing the city not as a fixed, delimited territory but as a gradient of varied landscapes supported by uneven networks of food, energy, resources, culture, transportation, and capital.

The MSAUD program is open to both pre- and post-professional students, and encourages applicants from a range of backgrounds who are focused on the questions and possibilities of the changing field of urban design. All applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time they start the MSAUD program. Please note that the MSAUD is not a professional architecture degree and does not in itself qualify for licensure.

MSAUD is introducing an early action deadline of December 15, 2025, with a first round of decisions to be released before the end of January, 2026. This initiative is specifically designed to support incoming students with additional time to prepare for the Summer semester beginning on May 26, 2026. The regular application deadline is January 15, 2026.

The MSAUD program is a designated STEM program eligible under the CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) Code 04.0902: Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology. Learn more about STEM designation.

The MSAUD program encourages students to critically confront planetary urbanization via applied and on-site research that advances the idea of urban design as an inclusive, activist, tools-based project for specific sites and communities and as a critical project examining urban form, knowledge, and research processes. A sign of the program’s success is its strong, catalytic alumni working globally and across disciplines, institutions, and communities to help create robust and equitable places to live.

Curriculum

The Urban Design program’s curriculum balances the need for shared and specialized knowledge with individual student research interests. The core of the program is the three-semester sequence of studios.

Summer Studio I is foundational and addresses the experimental, representational, and constructive aspects of urban design as a process. The studio frames the Five Boroughs of New York City as a learning lab, an aggregate of socio-spatial tensions, an archive of biophysical infrastructures, and an evolving set of lived experiences.

Fall Studio II expands in scope to consider the city-region, examining large scale interdependencies, interactions, and conflicts. Studio research addresses the particular conditions of American city-regions (previously, the Hudson Valley, currently the Atlanta region) in which shifting ecological, infrastructural, financial, racial, and social conditions call for new strategies for action.

Spring Studio III takes on problems of global urbanization, extending previous studio work to include the challenges and scales of the climate emergency, examining physical and social infrastructures, new visions of programmatic intervention, and robust community, governmental and NGO partnerships. The studio typically travels to two cities, working in close cooperation with local partners and organizations.

Semesters

The Summer semester consists of four courses (including studio) that operate intellectually and methodologically as an integrated curriculum focusing on the New York metropolitan region. All work is based on the coordinated learning of concepts, working methods, historical and theoretical frameworks, research protocols, and representational strategies. Faculty roles overlap, courses and subjects mix, and design agendas are tested in various settings. This teaching model demonstrates how Urban Design weaves together varied tasks of storytelling, community engagement, site survey and mapping, film making and digital visualization, and 3D modeling, all of which enable students to create urban knowledge and to iterate, represent and communicate design strategies.

During the Fall and Spring Semesters students take (in addition to Studio II and Studio III), several required seminars in Urban Design as well as required electives at GSAPP or the University. (See degree requirements). The array of seminars and electives asks that students create their own focus in Urban Design, in other words, shaping an agenda, or set of concerns, or a subject area to create a unique experience in Urban Design pedagogy.

PODCAST CONVERSATIONS

Professor Kate Orff, Urban Design Program Director and principal of Scape, discusses rewilding on the At a Distance podcast as one tool among many for restoring ecological infrastructure, oysters as engineering assistants in preventing coastal flooding, and other out-of-the-box solutions local and federal authorities should be considering before the next hurricane hits.


Listen to more podcasts from the Urban Design program by following UD Sessions: The Expanded Field of Urban Design, a series of conversations with urban designers around the globe, who graduated from or taught at GSAPP’s Urban Design program. By discussing their current work and reflecting on how their experience at GSAPP shaped their thinking about design, cities, and politics, the series explores the ways in which the field of urban design expanded since its emergence. Hosted by Faculty Kaja Kühl and Grahame Shane.

Summer 2021 Urban Design Lecture Series
Javier Vergara Petrescu

Learn more about the event.

Current Faculty

Ana María Durán Calisto

Candelaria Mas Pohmajevic

Deborah Helaine Morris

Fall 2026 Courses

Course Semester Title Student Work Instructor Syllabus Requirements & Sequence Location & Time Session & Points Call No.
ARCH6820‑1 Fall 2026
Urban Design Studio II
Emanuel Admassu, Jelisa Blumberg, Nina Cooke John

UD Only

206 Fayerweather, 114 Avery
M + TH 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM, F 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
9 Points
10603
ARCH6850‑1 Fall 2026
Urban Design Studio II
Emanuel Admassu, Kate Orff, Julia Murphy, Christopher Kroner, Candelaria Mas Pohmajevic

UD Only

206 Fayerweather, 203 Fayerweather
M, TH 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM, F 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
9 Points
10603
ARCH6900‑1 Fall 2026
Research I
Danielle Smoller

Independent Study

N/A
By Appointment
Full Semester
2-3 Points
10511
ARCH4050‑1 Fall 2026
Arch Elective Internship
Karen Cover

M.Arch II, III + CCCP II Only

N/A
N/A
Full Semester
1.5 Points
10512
ARCH4312‑1 Fall 2026
Storytelling Through Design
Hilary Sample

ALL GSAPP + SoA

409 Avery
TH 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10568
ARCH4352‑1 Fall 2026
Events in Modern Architecture 1850-Present: Exhibitions
Mary McLeod

ALL GSAPP

409 Avery
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10574
ARCH4427‑1 Fall 2026
Architecture Apropos Art
Dimitra Tsachrelia

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10583
ARCH4441‑1 Fall 2026
Interlaced Existence: Death, Life, Liminality
Karla Rothstein

ALL GSAPP

200 Buell North
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
15503
ARCH4442‑1 Fall 2026
If Buildings Had DNA
Christoph Kumpusch

ALL GSAPP

115 Avery
TU 1 PM - 3 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10584
ARCH4469‑1 Fall 2026
The History of Architecture Theory
Mark Wigley

ALL GSAPP

114 Avery
W 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10575
ARCH4597‑1 Fall 2026
Extreme Design
Mark Wigley

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10577
ARCH4625‑1 Fall 2026
Tensile/Compression Surfaces in Architecture: Tactile Methods for Architects
Robert Marino

ALL GSAPP

Ware Lounge (600 Avery)
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10600
ARCH4845‑1 Fall 2026
Generative Design I
Danil Nagy

ALL GSAPP

Ware Lounge (600 Avery)
TU 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10590
ARCH4892‑1 Fall 2026
Data Visualization for Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities
Jia Zhang

ALL GSAPP

409 Avery
F 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10591
ARCH4987‑1 Fall 2026
Architectural Photography: From the Models to the Built World
Michael Vahrenwald
115 Avery
TU 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
19779
ARCH6682‑1 Fall 2026
Subject_Object
Suchi Reddy

ALL GSAPP

300 Buell North
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10601
ARCH6756‑1 Fall 2026
Make
Ada Tolla, Giuseppe Lignano

ALL GSAPP

Ware Lounge (600 Avery)
F 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10587
ARCH6768‑1 Fall 2026
Conservation of Architectural Metals
Richard Pieper

ALL GSAPP

Preservation Technology Lab (655 Schermerhorn)
M 10 AM - 1 PM
Session A
1.5 Points
10615
ARCH6801‑1 Fall 2026
Structural Daring & The Sublime In Pre-Modern Architecture
Rory O'Neill

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
F 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
12268
ARCH6815‑1 Fall 2026
Public Space: Rhetorics + Practices
David Smiley

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
TU 1 PM - 3 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
15505
ARCH6830‑1 Fall 2026
Difference and Design
Justin Moore

ALL GSAPP + Tuskegee TSACS

409 Avery
TU 9 AM -11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10604
ARCH6832‑1 Fall 2026
Toward Resilient Cities and Landscapes
Kate Orff

ALL GSAPP

115 Avery
TU 3 PM - 5 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
15506
ARCH6862‑1 Fall 2026
Cairo Cartographies: Mapping Architecture, Urbanism, and the Evolution of an Arab City
Yasser Elsheshtawy

ALL GSAPP

409 Avery
M 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
17232
ARCH6921‑1 Fall 2026
AI for Existing Buildings
Kivanc Kose

ALL GSAPP

Preservation Technology Lab (655 Schermerhorn)
W 6 PM - 8 PM
Session B
1.5 Points
10715
ARCH6934‑1 Fall 2026
Traditional Building Technology
Tim Michiels
Preservation Technology Lab (655 Schermerhorn)
TH 9 AM - 11:30 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10716
ARCH6937‑1 Fall 2026
Visualization Techniques for Arch Preservation
André Jauregui

ALL GSAPP

Preservation Technology Lab (655 Schermerhorn)
W 6 PM - 8 PM
Session A
1.4 Points
10717
ARCH6938‑1 Fall 2026
Rendering Systems
Seth Thompson

ALL GSAPP

300 Buell South
TU 7 PM - 9 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10595
ARCH6939‑1 Fall 2026
GIS for Design Practices
Mario Giampieri

ALL GSAPP

408 Avery
F 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10594
ARCH6941‑1 Fall 2026
Architectural Acoustics and Field Recordings
Ethan Bourdeau

ALL GSAPP

504 Avery
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
17231
ARCH6956‑1 Fall 2026
Spatial AI
William Martin

ALL GSAPP

115 Avery
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10593
ARCH6966‑1 Fall 2026
Le Corbusier Beyond Europe
Mary McLeod

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
W 4 PM - 6 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10581
ARCH6980‑1 Fall 2026
Global Housing Seminar
Galia Solomonoff

ALL GSAPP

408 Avery
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
14226
ARCH6982‑1 Fall 2026
Planetary Media
Amelyn Ng

ALL GSAPP

408 Avery
TU 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10592
ARCH6986‑1 Fall 2026
Digital Fabrication at Scale
Joseph Brennan

ALL GSAPP

408 Avery
M 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10596
ARCH6990‑1 Fall 2026
Exposed: Advanced Structural Design
Hermona Tamrat

ALL GSAPP

505 Avery
W 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10777
ARCH6991‑1 Fall 2026
Biogenic Sections
Marc Tsurumaki

ALL GSAPP

Ware Lounge (600 Avery)
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10606
PLAN4022‑1 Fall 2026
Fundamentals of Urban Digital Design
Sybil Wa
UP Computer Lab (202 Fayerweather)
TH 3 PM - 5 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10719
PLAN4320‑1 Fall 2026
Urban Design For Planners
Jonathan Martin
Ware Lounge (600 Avery)
W 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
11901
PLAN4881‑1 Fall 2026
Practicum: Planning the Cultural Space
Douglas Woodward, Peter Flamm

ALL GSAPP

204 Fayerweather
TU 3 PM - 5 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
11902
PLAN6009‑1 Fall 2026
Environmental Data Analysis
Peter Marcotullio, Kaz Sakamoto

ALL GSAPP

412 Avery
M 3 PM - 5 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10724
PLAN6088‑1 Fall 2026
Introduction to International Planning
Ebru Gencer
204 Fayerweather
M 1 PM - 3 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10725
PLAN6121‑1 Fall 2026
Practicum: Residential Planning in Global Cities
Kate Dunham
203 Fayerweather
F 11 AM - 1 PM
Session A
1.5 Points
10727
PLAN6328‑1 Fall 2026
Site Planning & Support Systems
Graham Trelstad
204 Fayerweather
M 5 PM - 7 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10728
PLAN6434‑1 Fall 2026
Introduction to Transportation Planning
Rachel Weinberger
204 Fayerweather
TH 1 PM - 3 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10729
PLAN6612‑1 Fall 2026
Planning for Justice in a Low Carbon Future
Javier Lopez
408 Avery
M 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10730
PLAN6619‑1 Fall 2026
Intro to Urban Data and Informatics
Timothy Yoshimura

ALL GSAPP

UP Computer Lab (202 Fayerweather)
F 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
10731
PLAN6621‑1 Fall 2026
Law, Politics, and Planning Practice
Howard Slatkin

ALL GSAPP

203 Fayerweather
W 5 PM - 7 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
11916
PLAN6642‑1 Fall 2026
Metropolitan Planning
Thomas Wright

ALL GSAPP

204 Fayerweather
W 5 PM - 7 PM
Session A
1.5 Points
11903
PLAN6646‑1 Fall 2026
Affordable Housing in High Demand Cities
Kristin Miller, Evan Easterbrooks-Dick

ALL GSAPP

203 Fayerweather
TH 5 PM - 7 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10732
PLAN6921‑1 Fall 2026
Practicum: Urban Analytics for Social Good
Boyeong Hong
UP Computer Lab (202 Fayerweather)
M 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10735
PLAN6923‑1 Fall 2026
Data Infrastructure and Management in the Context of AI
Suprima Bhele Syllabus
UP Computer Lab (202 Fayerweather)
TU 6 PM - 8 PM
Session B
1.5 Points
11917
PLAN6928‑1 Fall 2026
Global Best Practices in Public Transportation
Syllabus
200 Buell North
TU 6 PM - 8 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10737
PLAN6942‑1 Fall 2026
Community Development Finance Practicum
Kevin McQueen
412 Avery
M 5 PM - 7 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10738
PLAN6946‑1 Fall 2026
Housing the Unhoused: A Practicum
Jessica Katz

ALL GSAPP

204 Fayerweather
W 5 PM - 7 PM
Session B
1.5 Points
11904
ARCH4518‑1 Fall 2026
Exhibition Histories, Curating Theories
Mark Wasiuta

ALL GSAPP

300 Buell South
TH 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
14824
ARCH6987‑1 Fall 2026
Simulations, Models, Twins
Adam Vosburgh

ALL GSAPP

300 Buell South
TH 9 AM - 11 AM
Full Semester
3 Points
17234
PLAN6272‑1 Fall 2026
New York Rising: How Real Estate Shapes a City
Kate Ascher

ALL GSAPP

114 Avery
F 11 AM - 1 PM
Full Semester
3 Points
10567

News

Nov 18, 2025
Zachary Rosman ’26 MSUP, Ayomikun Oluyadi ’26 MSUP, Juan Felipe Herrera ’25 MSRED, Alexandra Gonzalez ’25 MA Climate Policy, and Bria Miller ’25 MSAUD deliver a lecture for Modern Architecture & Speculative Future at Northeastern University, presenting their final project developed in the GSAPP Performance Zoning Clinics, led by Faculty Adam Lubinsky and Faculty Calvin Brown
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