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Town+Gown: NYC

Town+Gown develops and supports applied built environment research projects, using NYC's built environment as a laboratory for the research. If you are a researcher (from professor to student) or practitioner (in government or elsewhere) hoping to create actionable research, the city-wide Town+Gown program can help.

Since 2009, Town+Gown, which is a city-wide university-community partnership program, has been bringing academics and practitioners together on research projects to support practice and policy change based on research results.

Based on the collaborative inquiry model of systemic action research, Town+Gown is an open research platform that uses experiential learning engagements and faculty-directed research for built environment research projects. We work across the academic/practitioner divide to negotiate differing expectations, motivations, understanding and language to produce work of benefit to both sides. We provide initial links between practitioners and academics to create research projects and support them until completion.

Town+Gown channels completed research projects through its Symposium events for discussion, integrating current academic thinking and practice. From there, Town+Gown creates Working Groups focusing on completed projects as “action sets” to move research toward the “thought leader” stage for action.


To explore how Town+Gown can add value to your work as academic or practitioner, see webpage links below and feel free to contact Terri Matthews, Director, at matthewte@ddc.nyc.gov or at (212) 313-3546.