CityLab
Student Experience
Building a livable future for humanity and the planet
Build a career path that blends wealth and wellbeing. In CityLab, explore the challenges and opportunities of urbanization through the lens of livability. Reimagine business as a platform for reinventing cities for the 21st century. As quality of life is threatened by pandemics, pollution, climate change, crime, failing infrastructure, civic discontent, and more, CityLab imagines intentional rebuilding for a livable future that transforms distressed neighborhoods into flourishing communities. Collaborate with communities on neighborhood revitalization projects fuel business innovation, inclusive wealth creation, economic democracy, and social impact investing in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the country.
CityLab course structure
CityLab consists of two eight-week courses and is open to MBA and MS students. In the first course, CityLab Toolkit: Urban Immersion, work individually and in teams, immersing yourself in an intensive weekend urban experience as you learn and practice strategies, tools, and skills for rebuilding cities from within. In the second course, CityLab Practicum: Social Impact Project, students put your knowledge and skills to work on a social impact project sponsored by a neighborhood entrepreneur, business, or organization
"One key strength of CityLab is how candidates of both the MBA and MS programs participate. Getting different vantage points, experience, and skill coalescing around a shared vision and the creation of value translates seamlessly in modern business."
Casey Frazier, MS in Real Estate and Infrastructure ‘17
CityLab Projects
Baltimore
Baltimore’s CityLab collaborates with community leaders and business accelerators that provide technical business skills, growth capital, and social networks focused on building a business ecosystem with low barriers to workforce entry and high potential for technology integration and scaling.
Washington, D.C.
Few U.S. cities have transformed as quickly as Washington, D.C., but rapid gentrification displaces those priced out of their communities. Partnering with CityLab is an opportunity to work with local leaders who are reimagining neighborhoods like Congress Heights, Trinidad, and the New York Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue gateways into thriving residential communities and commercial hubs.