Urban Design and Planning Studio
Urban Design and Planning Studio
Are you excited about how cities are created?
The Urban Design and Planning Studio is for motivated high school-aged students interested in exploring careers in urban design and planning.
This summer Pre-College Studio provides students with a rigorous, in-depth introduction to these fields with leading professionals in the Boston area and beyond. Students examine how design and planning can contribute to addressing larger societal issues such as climate change, social justice, and human health through the Studio's two components: the Summer Academy Program and the Urban Design and Planning Curriculum, including pre-professional and civic learning training.
The Studio Program is a fantastic opportunity for dedicated students to learn about:
- Hands-on design skills
- Applying design skills to the creation of neighborhoods and cities
- How buildings and neighborhoods get built and how to influence their formation
- How design can help address larger systems issues such as climate, justice, sustainability, and human health
Virtual Info Session
Join us and learn more at the upcoming virtual info session:
Thursday, May 15: 6PM EDT
Program Details
Students enroll jointly in the Summer Academy Program plus the Urban Design and Planning Studio, which together support and enhance their learning and development. The Studio Program consists of two components:
- Summer Academy Program: This hands-on design program is designed for high school students who are curious about architecture, interior design, and landscape design.
- Urban Design and Planning Pre-College Curriculum: This pre-professional training prepares students for urban planning and urban design professional practice. It is offered as additional ‘wrap around’ programming to the Summer Academy Program.
In addition to receiving all that Summer Academy Program offers, the Studio Program includes:
- In-depth explorations of relevant design-planning foundations and topics
- Lunch speaker series with leading practitioners in Boston and around the world
- Field trips to firms, non-profits, and government entities
- Civic service learning and leadership engagement within the City of Boston and beyond
- Professional and career development exploration and preparation
- Hands-on urban design project that includes creating virtual and digitally fabricated cityscape models
- A final showcase where students present their urban design ideas to city representatives, Boston area design and planning professionals, along with BAC faculty during the last week of the program
During the Urban Design and Planning Curriculum, students learn about:
- Planning Foundations:
- Urban design and planning foundations
- City as a system
- Housing, land use/real estate, transportation, economic development, and policy
- Related themes/topics:
- Climate change and resilience
- Community-based planning and social justice
- Green, ecological, and sustainable planning and design
- Human health and wellbeing
- Urban development processes and professions
- Skills:
- Professional development and career pathways
- Digital mapping and GIS
- Digital fabrication
- Physical and virtual model building
SUMMER 2025 INFORMATION
Program Dates: June 30-August 8, 2025*
Program Times: Monday-Friday from 10AM-4:30PM EDT **
Format: Onsite non-resident day program
Tuition for Both Programs:
Base Price, credit bearing (6 college credits): $4,000
Base Price, not for credit: $3,600
Registration Deadline: June 9, 2025
*Due to the holiday, the BAC is closed July 4, 2025.
**Lunch is included each day for this program.
Who Is Eligible?
The Urban Design and Planning Studio is open to any student* who:
- Can attend daily in-person at the BAC (this program is not offered online or in a hybrid format, and no residency or housing is available)
- Enrolls in both the Urban Design and Planning Studio and Summer Academy Programs
- Is entering 9th -12th grade (14 years or older)
- Is excited about learning urban design and planning foundations and topics
- Can commit to attending the entire summer
- Attendance is mandatory during the first week of the program. This is when students are introduced to the foundational material essential for the rest of the summer.