MS in Design and Urban Ecologies

The 60-credit, two-year Master of Science in Design and Urban Ecologies program radically reframes the study of urban environments and design approaches to cities. By combining urban planning, policy, urban design, activism, and community practice, students gain the skills and expertise needed to address contemporary urban challenges. In line with The New School’s historic commitment to environmental and social justice, students design and implement strategic projects to bring about transformative change in urban environments on a global scale.

The first graduate program of its kind in the United States, the MS in Design and Urban Ecologies applies design as a methodology to explore and counteract social, economic, political, and environmental injustices within urban ecosystems. Using New York and other world cities as living laboratories, students develop a deep understanding of the forces that influence urban decline, restructuring, and development processes. They work in teams — collaborating alongside and within the communities directly affected — to devise design strategies, spatial configurations, and infrastructures that lead to social and spatial transformation.