Columbia University: Urban Design Lab

While drawing on the resources of The Earth Institute, principal collaborators also engage the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and the Fu Foundation of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). New York City and its region is a core model for solving problems related to sustainable urban futures everywhere, and the UDL’s work cuts across The Earth Institute’s themes of: Climate and Society; Water; Energy; Poverty; Ecosystems; Global Health; Food; Ecology; Nutrition; Hazards and Risk; and Urbanization.The UDL’s collaborators are academics and professionals in urban design, planning, architecture, historic preservation, real estate, public health, environmental science, climatology, engineering, ecology, education, business, economics, social science, humanities, and law.Since its inception, the UDL has assisted New York City communities in tackling environmental remediation, high performance and green building design, micro-infrastructure, public health, climate change, and sustainable economic development. It has also worked in numerous other global locations including Ghana, Kenya, People’s Republic of China, and India.