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Urban Design and Planning Students look at a scale module of skyscrapers while on a field trip to a firm.

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.

SUMMER 2026 REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

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
Urban Design and Planning logo (Hexagonal camp badge in a light sky blue outline and writing with blue background and the words 'Urban Design and Planning Est. 2020' with outlines of tall city buildings and landscaping in the middle.)

Summer 2026 Information

Program Dates:
Live Sessions: June 29 - August 7, 2026*
Program Times:
Monday-Friday | 10:00AM-4:30PM EDT*
Format:
Onsite, non-resident day program
Tuition for Both Programs:
Base Price, credit bearing (6 college credits):
$4,000 - Early bird discount: $3,800 (if students register by March 1, 2026)
Base Price, not for credit:
$3,600 - Early bird discount: $3,400 (if students register by March 1, 2026)
Onsite Program Registration Deadline:
June 9, 2026


*Lunch is included each day for this program.

Program Details

Urban Fellowship Students working together on a large-scale block-building project.

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


*Lunch is included each day for this program.

Who Is Eligible?

Urban Fellowship Students sit on the grass while listening to a lecture on a field trip.

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.

*The BAC does not issue I-20s for a student visa for our summer program. Therefore, international students are not eligible for the Urban Design and Planning module. 

A BAC Summer Academy student's collage with the words Bright Future in the center.

Scholarships


The BAC’s mission to provide excellence in design education emerging from practice includes fostering the next generation through hands-on engagement. Through the Pre-College Design Access Fund, government grants, and the generosity of sponsors such as Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, Inc. and Robert Houseman, scholarships and fellowships are available to students for all our Pre-College programs, including Summer Academy - Boston, Summer Academy - Global, and Urban Design and Planning Studio.

The scholarship priority registration deadline is March 1, 2026.

Explore More Summer Pre-College Programs

Questions?

For questions about our programs or interest in becoming a partner:

PreCollege@the-bac.edu

617.585.0267

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