City Visionaries is a Cornell AAP summer program based at the Gensler Family AAP NYC Center on the Cornell Tech campus. The rigorous, five-week curriculum is designed for high-achieving and high-potential high school students interested in studying the collective aspirations, methodologies, and processes involved in the design of cities.
Coordinated by Cornell faculty, the program introduces students to the complexity of urban development through on-the-ground examples in New York City. By way of a curated set of case studies focused on transformative urban projects in Manhattan, students learn how land is assembled, how financial and social capital is deployed, how constituencies are affected and connected, and ultimately how to plan and design spaces for cities and communities.
City Visionaries is built around immersive experiences that encourage critical inquiry and foster individual agency in creative and community practice and city-making. Students will emerge with a Cornell AAP Certificate of Completion and a folio of analytical and speculative works organized around their select areas of interest.
event
Feb 9–Mar 9
Open Houses: City Visionaries Summer Program for High School Students
Join us for an open house, where we’ll share information and answer questions about City Visionaries, a new summer program for high school students in New York City.
Program Dates
July 6–August 7, 2026
Program Hours
Weekdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Eligibility
Rising high school juniors and seniors (ages 16–18)
Location
Gensler Family AAP NYC Center, Cornell Tech Campus, Roosevelt Island, New York City
Type
Non-credit certificate program
Program Contact
Sydney Boyd, sydneyboyd@cornell.edu
Application Timeline
Applications for Summer 2026 have closed.
