Something happened to our cities...

Our cities used to be beautiful. A single mom could find an affordable place to rent near her work. We used to know our neighbors. Kids used to have friends down the block, not needing to be shuttled around town. Craftspeople were abundant in our communities. People of all backgrounds had the freedom to build a home that met their needs, not according to outdated zoning spaghetti.

Today, most cities are more draining than life-giving. Sure, some cities are still great and we visit them for a week, only to return home dreaming of a better place. We’ve collectively lost a vision and hope for thriving cities.

But this hasn’t always been true. Great cities and towns have been built since the dawn of time. So why have we seemingly forgotten millennials’ worth of citymaking? The answers are too complex for this letter, but at the core, we see two major barriers to turning our cities into wonderful places:

• We’ve lost the vision of what a great city and place is and can be.

• We’ve lost the technical knowledge to design-build into that vision.

The great news is that a revival of city-making spirit and knowledge is happening right now across the world. We’re planting our flag alongside those other brave pioneers who believe there’s a better way.

Introducing Citymakers Collective. We inspire and teach aspiring citymakers the holistic design principles of resilient, beautiful, and prosperous places. Who’s a citymaker? Students, young professionals, and aspiring citizens. Architects, developers, urban planners, designers, lawyers, city officials, investors, and everyday people.

Why are we focused on inspiring and teaching? Every great movement in history has been energized by the youth. They have the energy and drive to change the world. We want to pair this idealism and fervor with a grounding in the time-tested principles of effective planning, urbanism, and architecture. Only then will this movement for a better city and town succeed.

Our first full program was Summer Studio 2025 — a two-week program led by world-class planners, architects, developers, and urbanists held in Charleston, South Carolina. Through a mixture of hands-on education, engaging lectures, and city walks, 16 students learned the core principles of urban planning, architecture, and the building arts. Here’s what a few students said of Summer Studio 2025:

• "The past few days have completely changed my mindset as an urban planner." — Andres

• "My eyes have been opened." — Hudson

• "The studio was a wonderful time. They put on an impressive amount of great lectures with a wealth of knowledge that was immediately applied. I am stunned by the amount of information we were given.” — Anonymous

We’re calling for pioneers who believe it’s possible to change our story — follow along with our journey via our newsletter here or apply for Summer Studio 2026.

Onward!

Written by the founding board of Citymakers Collective —Will McCollum, Matthew Marshall, Katherine O’Neil, Liz Treadwell, & Marco Garcia