named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
Fast Forward
Explores global urban transit models to improve safety, speed, and reliability of commutes in New York City.
Living Routes
Forefront Fellowship exploring how to transform public spaces into adaptive, living landscapes of care.
New City Critics
Writers fellowship with The Architectural League to empower a new generation of urban critics.
Public Space Partners Survey
Counts organizations managing public spaces in NYC to highlight their role in community care.
Public Works
Sparks conversations with civic leaders on built environment initiatives shaping the public good.
Rewire
Initiative to reshape buildings and public spaces as engines for a climate-positive city.
The Local Center
Community design network in partnership with the Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Urban Policy and Equity Research 2 activities
- Advances urban policy through working groups and advocacyConvenes working groups of Fellows and civic leaders to develop policy ideas addressing key urban challenges in New York City, including housing supply, tenant displacement, equitable economic development, mobility, and climate resilience, and facilitates dialogue between NYC and other global cities on innovative urban solutions.
- Conducts research on urban design and recovery strategiesProduces original research and publications on urban challenges, including innovative financing for green cooperatives, pandemic recovery strategies (e.g., City Life After Coronavirus), a built environment agenda ("21 Visions for 2021"), documentation of public space managers in NYC, and curation of international exhibitions such as the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
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Artist Residencies and Studio Programs 1 activity
- Administers writers fellowship with The Architectural LeagueCo-runs a fellowship program with The Architectural League to train and empower emerging urban critics through critical analysis of urban issues in New York City.
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Professional Association Capacity Building 1 activity
- Builds capacity through professional networks and knowledge exchangeMaintains a professional network of over 1,000 civic leaders, designers, planners, and public officials; offers company membership with access to global design leadership networks; and organizes transatlantic and international knowledge exchanges, study trips (e.g., to Mexico City and Tokyo), and cross-city dialogues on housing, mobility, and public space.
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Architecture and Design Public Education Programs 1 activity
- Organizes convenings and dialogues on urban designConvenes New Yorkers, civic leaders, and experts in discussions and collaborative design initiatives around urban development, including exclusive tours of major construction projects, summits on community-led design, and forums on built environment projects that advance the public good.
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Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
- Runs fellowship programs for emerging civic leadersOperates the Forefront Fellowship and other cohort-based programs that bring together emerging leaders, designers, and urban critics to explore how urban design can address social, political, and environmental challenges such as public space transformation, aging populations, youth inclusion, and climate resilience.
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Neighborhood Revitalization Initiatives 1 activity
- Supports community-led public space projectsPartners with community organizations and local leaders to implement creative public space improvements such as lighting installations and greener public spaces in neighborhoods vulnerable to extreme heat and flooding, often through technical support and design collaboration.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.31M
Contributions & grants$1.78M77%
Program service revenue$529K23%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$2.54M
Program expenses69%
Admin / overhead26%
Fundraising5%
Salaries & benefits$1.07M
Grants paid out$375K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$828K
Cash$96K
Investments$0
Liabilities$721K
Net assets$107K
Liquid reserves0.5 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +91.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DANIEL MCPHEE | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 35 | $144K |
board members · 24
- AJ PIRES — CO-CHAIR
- BARIKA WILLIAMS — DIRECTOR
- BEATRICE SIBBLIES — DIRECTOR
- BYRON STIGGE — DIRECTOR
- EARLE CHAMBERS — DIRECTOR
- JACK ROBBINS — DIRECTOR
- JAMES VON KLEMPERER — CO-CHAIR
- JEFF HEBERT — DIRECTOR
- JING LIU — DIRECTOR
- JOSEPH BRANCATO — DIRECTOR
- JUDITH KESSLER — TREASURER
- LISA SWITKIN — DIRECTOR
- MARGARET NEWMAN — DIRECTOR
- MARILYN JORDAN TAYLOR — DIRECTOR
- MEEJIN YOON — DIRECTOR
- MEREDITH KANE — SECRETARY
- MICHELLE DELK — DIRECTOR
- PAUL GOLDBERGER — DIRECTOR
- SIQI ZHU — DIRECTOR
- TOM SCARANGELLO — DIRECTOR
- VINCENT CHANG — DIRECTOR
- WESTON WALKER — DIRECTOR
- YADIEL RIVERA-DIAZ — DIRECTOR
- YIN KONG — DIRECTOR
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- 2025-26 New City Critics Partner — Supports the 2025-26 New City Critics in applying critical analysis to New York City's urban conditions.
- 2026 Fast Forward Fellows Partner — Collaborates with the 2026 Fast Forward Fellows to identify global ideas for reclaiming streets and expanding public transit.
- 2026 Forefront Fellows Partner — Works with the 2026 Forefront Fellows to transform public spaces into living, adaptive landscapes of care.
- Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development Partner — Co-founded The Local Center, a community design network
- Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development Partner — Partner organization in the development of The Local Center community design network.
- Association for Neighborhood & Housing Development Partner — Partners to establish The Local Center, a community design network focused on neighborhood-led urban improvements.
- Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development Partner — Collaborated to discuss a just recovery for New York City after the pandemic.
- BlackSpace Partner — Co-hosts an Open Classroom event with New City Critics to engage community perspectives on urban design.
- Capita Partner — Co-hosts events with the Urban Design Forum on topics such as greening and cooling New York's schoolyards and playgrounds.
- Central Park Conservancy Partner — Co-hosted a conversation on commemorative projects and community engagement in public space.
- Company Members Partner — Organizations that join as company members and advise the Forum across its programming.
- Copenhagen Architecture Forum Partner — Collaborates with the Forum on conversations about adaptive reuse and urban design.
- Director’s Circle Partner — Advises on programming, chairs events, and hosts tours of recent projects.
- Hudson Square Business Improvement District Partner — Partnership to lead a design competition for a public installation in Hudson Square.
- Hudson Square Properties Partner — Partnership to lead a design competition for a public installation in Hudson Square.
- Kohn Pedersen Fox Partner — Co-hosts transatlantic urban design exchanges with the Forum on issues including affordable housing and tall buildings.
- Local Center community partners Partner — Collaborates with three community partners through the Local Center initiative to implement creative lighting projects in public spaces.
- New London Architecture Partner — Co-hosts transatlantic urban design exchanges with the Forum to share knowledge between New York and London.
- New Yorkers Partner — Civic leaders and residents engaged in designing, building, and caring for a better city.
- Next New York Partner — Collaborates on convening Fellows and working groups to develop urban policy ideas.
- Storefront for Art and Architecture Partner — Partnered on the 2008 New York bike share pilot program, sponsoring two weekends of free bike use.
- The Architectural League Partner — Collaborates on a writers fellowship to train new urban critics.
- The Architectural League Partner — Collaborates on the New City Critics writers fellowship
- The Architectural League Partner — Collaborates on the New City Critics writers fellowship program.
- The Architectural League Partner — Collaborates on the New City Critics writers fellowship to train emerging urban critics.
- Times Square Arts Partner — Curatorial partnership for the 2017 Times Square Valentine Heart Design competition.
- ULI New York Partner — Co-hosted a discussion on the future of New York’s public realm.
- University of Pennsylvania Partner — Co-organized the first International Design Conference in Philadelphia.
- Van Alen Institute Partner — Collaborated on Neighborhoods Now to support local organizations in pandemic recovery.
- Van Alen Institute Partner — Collaborated on the Neighborhoods Now initiative to support local pandemic recovery efforts
+ 1 more
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Led Co-Design as Leverage for Equitable Urban Transformationmethodology: co_design_with_marginalized_communitiesBy placing decision-making power directly in the hands of local and historically marginalized communities through co-design and community-led development, the organization produces more equitable urban outcomes because inclusive design processes correct systemic exclusions and generate contextually grounded solutions.
- Fellowship-Driven Systems Change Through Interdisciplinary Urban Practicemethodology: fellowship_modelBy cultivating emerging leaders across design, policy, and advocacy through interdisciplinary fellowships, the organization advances systemic urban change because cross-sectoral capacity building enables innovative, holistic interventions that single-discipline approaches cannot achieve.
- Global Comparative Analysis to Inform Local Urban Innovationmethodology: global-comparative-analysisBy analyzing global city models in housing, transportation, and public space, the organization generates actionable, locally adapted solutions for New York City because international benchmarking reveals transferable strategies and accelerates policy learning.
- Integration of Urban Design with Public Health and Climate Systemsmethodology: interdisciplinary-urban-designBy treating urban design as an interconnected system that includes public health, climate action, and economic justice, the organization produces healthier and more resilient cities because built environment interventions have cascading impacts across social and environmental determinants.