The purpose of the Symposium of Urban Design History and Theory is to create a forum for those whose scholarship relates to urban design to present and discuss their research, engage in fruitful conversation and debate, and form a community based on shared interests.

SUDHT is a worldwide forum with an expansive interest in the past. As such, we invite session and paper proposals that address all geographic settings and time periods. As urban design is inherently interdisciplinary, scholars are welcome from various fields, including (among others) urban design, architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, heritage studies, geography, environmental studies, history, art history, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, design studies, and digital studies. Prior editions at TU Delft (2023) and ETH Zürich (2021) have convened hundreds of global scholars and formed a growing community based on shared interests.

SUDHT defines urban design broadly, to refer to the spatial and morphological qualities of cities, towns, suburbs, rural areas and other human settlements. These spatial characteristics can be intentionally designed or have evolved from other forces, yielding specific urban morphologies.

The next SUDHT will be held on September 18-21, 2025, in-person, at the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning. At the crossroads of the United States and Canada, Buffalo reflects a wealth of American design history and theory, from Joseph Ellicott’s Baroque city plan and Frederick Law Olmsted’s parkway system, numerous works by Frank Lloyd Wright to the post-industrial inspiration for Reyner Banham’s Concrete Atlantis. Once coined “America’s Best Designed City”, Buffalo represents many of America’s contemporary urban design challenges and opportunities.

SUDHT is supported by the Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence, as the symposium aligns with the Bruner Center’s legacy as one of the world’s foremost urban design awards and archives, representing nearly a thousand design projects spanning nearly four decades.