Engage

Why join? The MIT Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism’s Membership Program offers organizations the opportunity to be a part of this forward-looking initiative by joining a membership body that shares a common and abiding interest in the advancement of urbanism in the coming decades. In aligning with a leading educational and research institute, members continue the patronage of research while also joining a community of prominent practitioners, including over 40 affiliated faculty who join us from all five schools across MIT’s campus. 

What are the benefits of membership? Membership connects members with a range of MIT faculty, researchers, and students. The membership is structured around developing an area of mutual interest for future research, with the goal of producing a research proposal for future funding by the member.  First-year members are offered a number of benefits including a kickoff-meeting, a strategic workshop day, the opportunity to place a fellow in-residence at the LCAU, and invitations to conferences and events.

What does the first year of membership look like? Months 1-3:A kickoff meeting during which the member and the LCAU team enter into dialogue around the urban issues faced by the member organization. Months 3-6: A strategic workshop day at the LCAU to further discuss and develop the area(s) of interest identified during the kickoff. This on-campus workshop provides the opportunity for corporate members, together with LCAU leadership, research staff, and affiliated faculty to continue defining an area of interest for ongoing collaboration. Months 6-12: Development of a research proposal that defines an area of ongoing directed research, potentially in collaboration with other members. Following the strategic workshop and other initial meetings, a LCAU researcher and the Membership Manager will work iteratively with the member to construct a research proposal articulating a problem statement, approach, timeline, and budget for future sponsored research within the discussed area(s) of interest.

What kind of companies join the LCAU? We welcome membership inquiries from for-profit companies, non-profits, and US-based or foreign municipalities.  Past and current member companies have included automotive, consumer products, major foundations, financial services companies and more.  

How can cities engage with the LCAU? We welcome all types of inquiries from cities who may wish to engage with the LCAU’s leadership and faculty.  Specifically, the LCAU has developed the Cities Initiative, a new forum for regional engagement on real-world challenges.  Three to five cities in close proximity would join as a metro region to explore a certain topic that would not have a research-to-solution platform.  The benefit structure is similar to engaging the LCAU as a member, but is tailored toward working with multiple cities on exploring regional-scale issues in a neutral setting. Following the Cities Initiative year, cities can elect to fund an area of research either individually or as part of a multi-sponsor project.  We also welcome conversations with foundations, private corporations, or individuals who may wish to support a metro region joining this initiative.

How do we join? For further information on opportunities to work with the LCAU on critical urban needs, please contact Sasha M. Rollinger, Membership Manager, at sashams@mit.edu.