CUP was founded in 1997 by the artist and architect Damon Rich with co-founders Oscar Tuazon (artist), Stella Bugbee (graphic designer), Josh Breitbart (media activist), Jason Anderson (architect), AJ Blandford (architectural historian), Sarah Dadush (attorney), Althea Wasow (filmmaker), and Rosten Woo (policy analyst).
The CUP released the "Vendor Power" booklet informing NYC's street vendors on the law and their rights, "I Got Arrested" for underage persons getting arrested, "Know Your Lines" to raise the issue of regional lines modifications during electoral ballots.
[4] CUP received the 2011 Rockefeller CIF award to develop its Public Access Design project.
[5] The Smithsonian magazine lauded the center in 2016 for producing educational kits that clarify the intricacies of New York's zoning and systems.
[6] In 2017, CUP founder Damon Rich was honored with a $625,000 MacArthur Fellowship "genius" grant, to be used at his discretion over a period of five years.