The UDL brings together academics and professionals in urban design, planning, architecture, business, real estate, climatology, ecology, engineering, humanities, social sciences, and law.
The UDL regularly presents its research at major international conferences and publishes reports to better inform the public on pressing urban issues, as well as to promote greater political participation.
In 2006, the UDL’s research on the Gowanus Canal’s remediation contributed to the Environmental Protection Agency’s designation of the area as a Superfund site, as well as the subsequent creative renewal of the neighborhood.
The UDL has worked with New York residents on several projects covering: environmental remediation, high-performance and green building design, micro-infrastructure, public health, and sustainable urban development.
With the support of the National Science Foundation, the UDL collaborated with the City of New Rochelle on plans for various development initiatives in the area’s downtown and waterfront, as well as around its transit centers.