Organizer Information

New City Critics is an elite, collaborative fellowship initiative co-founded and administered by the Urban Design Forum and The Architectural League of New York. The Urban Design Forum is a member-powered organization connecting over 1,000 civic leaders to design, build, and care for an equitable metropolis. The Architectural League of New York acts as an independent forum stimulating critical thinking, debate, and action on the intersecting crises of systemic racism, urban inequity, and climate change. Together with the League's dedicated digital publication, Urban Omnibus, these institutions provide the editorial scaffolding, professional mentorship, and media platforms necessary to diversify the fields of architectural and urban design criticism.

Title & Description

The New City Critics Fellowship (2026–27 Cycle).

This intensive, 9-month technocultural and urbanism residency is engineered to empower new, fearless, and structurally diverse voices to challenge how contemporary cities are designed, developed, and experienced. Conceived in memory of pioneering author, activist, and fearless design critic Michael Sorkin (1948–2020), the program actively counters the shrinkage of legacy media and the disappearance of full-time critics. Recognizing that a narrow circle of voices historically dominates mainstream citymaking narratives, the fellowship equips a curated cohort of six individuals with the editing tools, structural research networks, and professional publication outlets required to make complex urban processes legible to diverse publics.

The Modular Curriculum & Structure:

Fellows meet physically twice a month in downtown Manhattan throughout a structured 9-month residency, advancing through four target skill-building modules:

  • Module 1: Critical Geographies: Immersive reading workshops analyzing historical and contemporary critical texts on urban space and sociology.
  • Module 2: Project & Place Interrogation: Fieldwork and tactical writing workshops focusing on the physical design of neighborhoods, infrastructure, housing, and public parks.
  • Module 3: Actor Mapping & Positionality: Interviewing and writing about the diverse networks of actors in citymaking, including developers, city planners, grassroot organizers, and municipal policymakers.
  • Module 4: Cultural Restitution Reviews: Mastering the structural frameworks of reviewing books, physical objects, public monuments, and civic events.

Categories

Curatorial Practice / Criticism, Art History / Research.

Eligibility

  • Geographic Imperative: Open exclusively to creators, writers, and practitioners who physically live or work within the New York metropolitan area for the absolute duration of the program.
  • Professional Alignment: Designed for early- to mid-career storytellers, urbanists, and practitioners deeply committed to expanding the culture of criticism. The program welcomes diverse profiles, including journalists, architects, urban planners, scholars, civic advocates, visual artists, DIY newsletter writers, zine publishers, podcasters, and photo essayists.
  • Diversity Mandate: Specifically intended for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds who do not see themselves or their lived experiences reflected in mainstream design, urbanism, and architectural criticism today.
  • Time Commitment: Fellows must commit to a minimum of 45 hours of structured program sessions (held on Tuesday evenings), alongside a substantial, self-directed time investment outside of class for reading, office hours with staff, and professional editorial review.

Program Benefits and Fellow Tiers

  • Direct Financial Honorarium: A baseline stipend of $7,500 USD is awarded to all participating fellows to fund independent research, writing time, and project fabrication.
  • Editorial Scaffolding & Publishing: Direct, one-on-one professional guidance from accomplished editors to shape, refine, and polish original essays. Selected projects will be formally published in a dedicated New City Critics section on Urban Omnibus and across a synchronized newsletter network.
  • Civic Program Coordination: Fellows will collaboratively design, market, and execute two major public programs to introduce their targeted topics to wider New York audiences and engage directly with civic changemakers.
  • Network Access & Dual Memberships: Direct professional networking introductions to the Forum's and League's combined audiences of architects, cultural producers, and planning experts. Grantees receive two years of complimentary institutional membership to both organizations, unlocking free access to premium lectures, panels, and exclusive debates.

Fees

  • Application Fee: None (Completely free to submit the digital portfolio).

Application Requirements

Dossiers must be finalized and logged via the official application gateway. The evaluation panel scores candidates on visual and textual clarity, commitment to urban practice, and portfolio trajectory. Applications require:

  1. Full personal contact metadata, professional resume, and verification of New York metro area residency status.
  2. A detailed biographical statement tracking your unique relationship to the built environment and urban practice.
  3. A focused project statement detailing what specific urban systems, neighborhoods, or design processes you intend to interrogate during the 9-month cycle.
  4. A representative portfolio containing recent published writing samples, essays, journalism tracks, or visual/audio documentation (e.g., podcasts, zines, photo essays) demonstrating significant engagement with the field.

How to Apply?

Create a free user account on the designated submission portal node, fill out your text modules, detail your writing background, upload your portfolio clips, and lock your data. Apply to the New City Critics Fellowship.

Key Dates

  • Application Period Opens: Thursday, April 30, 2026.
  • Application Submission Deadline: Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
  • Finalist Interview Window: Week of July 28, 2026 (Conducted remotely or on-site with program staff).
  • Fellowship Term: Fall 2026 through Spring 2027 (9-month mandatory cycle).

Location

United States, New York, NY (In-person Tuesday evening sessions hosted alternately at the Urban Design Forum and Architectural League offices in downtown Manhattan).

Additional Details

The selection process is governed by an elite, multidisciplinary committee of media leaders, design critics, and policy changemakers, including Garnette Cadogan (MIT Urbanism Lecturer), Sukjong Hong (Editor, Curbed), Alexandra Lange (Design Critic, Bloomberg CityLab), Daphne Lundi (Managing Director, Urban Ocean Lab), Marianela D’Aprile (Writer & Contributing Editor, NYRA), and Adlan Jackson (Critic & Co-owner, Hell Gate). Accepted fellows will work directly with staff to accommodate specific caretaking responsibilities, accessibility requirements, specialized technology needs, or unique health and safety concerns. The fellowship is structurally backed by lead grants from the Mellon Foundation, alongside Critical Minded, the Graham Foundation, and the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation.

Website Link: https://urbandesignforum.org/