News
Spitzer School’s PMCI featured on CUNY TV’s Urban U
The Spitzer School of Architecture’s Place, Memory, and Culture Incubator (PMCI) was recently featured in a special segment on CUNY TV’s Urban U. The episode showcases our school’s commitment to “generative history”—a design philosophy that links historic preservation with community-led urban futures.
Through the PMCI, students go beyond the classroom to tackle real-world issues, such as creating memorials for the Harlem African Burial Ground and documenting the architectural legacies of small businesses along notable streets like 125th Street and Lenox Avenue.
As one of the most diverse architecture schools in the nation, SSA is uniquely positioned to elevate the voices of marginalized communities. This segment highlights how our students use architectural intervention to honor Black history in Harlem while designing healthy, sustainable spaces for future generations. By drawing inspiration from the city’s historic artifacts to create new storefronts and streetscapes, the PMCI helps preserve the stories of the past as an integral part of New York City’s future.
Watch the full feature (our segment begins at 13:17):