Future Cities

The Future Cities Initiative champions a people-centered approach to urban design and development—one that places the lived experiences, leadership, and aspirations of communities at the heart of how cities are built. 

“Whatever the problem, community is the answer. There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

- Margaret Whatley

Future Cities programming includes a 4-year slate of exhibitions, events, convenings, lectures, publications, digital activations, and community-based engagements designed to reach audiences from all walks of life, geographies, ages, economic and social sectors interested in participating in shaping the places where they live work and play. 

The combined impact will be felt by audiences on site, online, in classrooms and board rooms, and in communities throughout the nation for decades to come.

Key Highlights

I Hope This Becomes...

I Hope This Becomes... is an online community map of the public's aspirations for the built environment. In this interactive experience, users are invited to share their wishes, memories, and favorite features of their cities. This national online mapping project will create our collective vision of cities we love.

tell your story

Future Fridays

Future Fridays is hosted online on the first Friday of every month to bring together professionals working on creating affordable, thriving, healthy and resilient cities. Come for the “Dose of Optimism,” stay to share your ideas discussed by experts during the “Ideascast.”

Our Approach

"A city is not gauged by its length and width, but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams."

— Herb Caen

Centering the City

Future Cities programming will explore innovative approaches to creating sustainable, vibrant, healthy, urban environments all aligned through five narrative throughlines that will unfold over the course of the initiative’s 4-year cycle: affordable living, thriving communities, healthy spaces, resilient infrastructure, and innovative systems.

Centering the Community

With this effort, we have identified 4 principal outcomes by which we will measure the initiative’s impact: 

EQUIP: City residents are equipped with knowledge and tools to confidently participate in shaping their cities.

INSPIRE: People are inspired by stories of urban innovation, motivating engagement and civic action.

CONVENE: Collaboration across sectors leads to more responsive, community-driven city planning.

UPLIFT: Pathways are established to enable historically marginalized communities to meaningfully participate in shaping more inclusive and equitable cities.

Join us as we reimagine the future of cities

Become a Future Cities supporter and help us ensure that the impact of this work reaches well beyond the walls of the Museum. Please reach out to Rachel Weber, Director of Corporate and Strategic Partnerships at rweber@nbm.org, to learn more.

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