A Future Leaders Fellowship for Urban Change Makers
The Building Better Cities Collaborative is a two-semester leadership fellowship at NYU's Schack Institute of Real Estate.
It brings together mid-career professionals from across the built environment to pioneer new approaches to systemic urban challenges.
About
Distinct from traditional continuing education, BBCC’s hybrid model is purposeful, collaborative, and integrated. Discover more below about what we do, why we do it, and how to participate.
Vision
A new model for innovation
BBCC is founded to help shape cities that are more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous.
The fellowship brings together design, development, finance, policy, tech—and more—to integrate innovation across domains and drive real-world impact.
Structure
A two-semester fellowship
BBCC runs across two twelve-week semesters, with fellows committing one day a week to a hybrid program of in-person and online sessions.
Both semesters combine a Collaborative Group Project, where teams work on a shared urban challenge, with a Fellowship Studio focused on individual development.
Join
Apply or Partner
BBCC is open to mid-career professionals applying individually and to organizations who wish to nominate a candidate.
Fellowships start at $6,000 per semester, with discounted rates for small and micro companies, non-profits, consortium partners and first-cohort enrollment.
People
BCC was co-founded by Marc Norman and Will Hunter and developed with input from a Founding Advisory Board. The fellowship can draw on expertise from across NYU's ecosystem.
BBCC Team
Marc Norman
Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair in Real Estate Development and Investment; Associate Dean, NYU SPS Schack, BBCC Co-Founder
Will Hunter
Executive in Residence, NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate and Harvard Innovation Labs, BBCC Co-Founder
Serena Sussman
Associate Director, Non-credit Programs, NYU School of Professional Studies
Jaden Vazquez
M.S. in Real Estate Development, BBCC Founding Associate
Founding Advisory Board
Xenia Adjoubei Kwan
Urban Designer & Senior Transportation Consultant, Systematica US
Charles Arbez
Senior Director of Development, Hullmark
Forth Bagley
Principal, KPF
Rian English Barnhill
Vice President of Government and Community Affairs, Olympia Development
Blondel Karen
Community Organizer and Environmental Justice Advocate
Tiffany Chu
Former Chief of Staff to Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston; Co-Founder, Remix
Alessandra Cianchetta
Founder, AWP Architecture
Matthew Claudel
Founder & CEO, Field States
Patrick Foret
Founder and Principal, Cultural Entreprise
Beatrice Galilee
Founder, The World Around
Vaibhav Gujral
Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company
Arana Hankin Biggars
President / Co-Founder, The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store
Aidan Heintzman
CEO & Founder, Haven Panels
Mitchell Joachim
Co-Founder, Terreform ONE
Arthur Kay
Director, Innovo Group
Colin Koop
Design Partner, SOM
R. May Lee
President, Olin College of Engineering; Chair, Van Alen Institute
Coby Lefkowitz
Co-Founder, Backyard
Angie Jim Osman
Partner, Allies and Morrison
Raj Patel
Senior Executive, Chatham
Javier Quintana de Una
CEO, Council on Vertical Urbanism
Anne Rieselbach
Program Director, The Architectural League of New York
Arianna Salazar Miranda
Assistant Professor, Yale University, Founder, Livable City Lab
Richard Sennett
Emeritus Professor of Sociology, NYU; former Senior Advisor, UN-Habitat
Cassim Shepard
Founding Editor-in-Chief, Urban Omnibus
Paloma Strelitz
Creative Director & Head of Product, Patch; Co-Founder, Assemble
Marine Tanguy
Founder & CEO, MTArt Agency
Matthew Vander Werff
Founder, MVW Partners
Tom Wright
President, Regional Plan Association
Siqi Zhu
Urban Planner and Technologist, Sasaki
NYU Ecosystem
Shlomo (Solly) Angel
Professor of City Planning, NYU Marron Institute; Director, Urban Expansion Program
Patrice Derrington
Chair of Strategic Academic Initiatives; Clinical Faculty, NYU SPS Schack
Laura Fox
Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Stern; Co-Founder, Streetlife Ventures
Louise Harpman
Professor of Architecture, Urban Design, and Sustainability, NYU Gallatin
Barry Hersh
Director, MS in Real Estate Development, NYU Schack
Michael Krupa
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack; former President, Gemdale USA
Matthew Kwatinetz
Clinical Assistant Professor of Real Estate Economics; Director, NYU Urban Lab
Hillman Lam
Adjunct Assistant Professor, NYU Schack; Vice President, Lam American
Ashkahn Pajoohi
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack
Richard D. Ross
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack
Brian G. Schwagerl
Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Schack
Gary H. Sherman
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack
Stephen M. Soler
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack; former Managing Director, Société Générale
Mark Strauss
Adjunct Instructor, NYU Schack; former President, AIA New York
Anna A. Tavis
Clinical Professor; Chair, Human Capital Management Department, NYU SPS
Suhail Y. Tayeb
Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Schack
Mark Willis
Senior Policy Fellow, NYU Furman Center
Get Involved
Apply to join the Founding Cohort starting September 2026. For questions, email w.hunter@nyu.edu.
Apply to Join
Please submit this form by June 5, 2026. Submissions received by this date are eligible for the Founding Cohort discount of 25% (which cannot be combined with other discounts for organization size or type).
Expression of Interest Form 2026
BBCC Research Topics
To suggest a research topic for the BBCC Founding Cohort, please submit a proposal using this form, letting us know the systemic urban challenge or opportunity that you’re seeking to address.
Research Topic Proposal Form