Urban Studies for All, Now.

Cities are incredibly important institutions in twenty-first century life; from the rapid economic changes they influence to the innovations that sprout from their streets, urban spaces have grown into complex entities of increasing scholarly concentration.

Cambridge in particular is an incredibly vibrant city. Living here means constantly hearing debates about housing affordability, transit expansion, and inequality in the Boston metro area. Yet despite studying in one of the country’s most dynamic urban regions, Harvard undergraduates lack a clear academic pathway to study cities.

While the recent addition of an urban studies track in the History and Literature concentration is a welcome step, we need a secondary for all concentrators. Harvard has failed to embrace urban studies institutionally, even though it has the resources to establish a program of study.

Urban studies isn’t contained by any one subject matter; cities and urban spaces can be examined from the economics, sociology, urban planning, government, and journalistic perspectives. I’ve encountered urban studies courses — such as those on housing policy, equitable cities, and urban planning — scattered across departments, from Economics to English and History.

What’s missing is a field of study that ties them together. Concentrators from all fields of study could complement their intellectual growth with an urban studies secondary available to them.

What’s more, we know Harvard students are interested in urban studies offerings. A 2024 survey of undergrads by the Harvard Undergraduate Urban Sustainability Lab found that most respondents agreed that their ability to pursue their interest in urban issues was limited by the lack of a formalized path of study. Notably, participants in the survey were concentrators in diverse areas, from Computer Science to Government, emphasizing the broad demand for the field of study across the College.

The special concentrations website even points to urban studies as a popular path of study. And, as a 2024 report by a Division of Arts and Humanities strategic planning committee notes, faculty suggestions for new fields of study have included urban studies.

Urban studies could be a light lift for the FAS to add as a secondary without housing it under a department. A provisional committee could be established, with faculty already working in the field serving as administrators.

Harvard has no lack of urban studies experts or existing infrastructure. Prominent scholars in urban planning-related research, such as Edward L. Glaeser in the Economics Department, Toni L. Griffin at the Graduate School of Design, Jason Ur in the Anthropology Department, and many others, already have immense experience in urban studies related inquiry that could shape the direction of the committee and recommendations for coursework requirements.

The University already has two city-centered initiatives — the Bloomberg Center for Cities and the Harvard Mellon Urban Initiative — both of which could provide additional advising and resources for undergrads to utilize in shaping their course of study. The Graduate School of Design even offers several distinct programs in urban planning, of which many could be opened for undergraduates or added as electives for the secondary.

This wealth of resources, from advising to graduate level courses in urban planning, could help students identify and explore their urban interests and career possibilities in the world of urbanism.

HUUSL’s push for the creation of a secondary strikes at a large tension with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ historical approach to accommodate shifting scholarly interests. Between 1890 and 1969, new fields of inquiry were typically added as new departments. This sprawl, however, would eventually lead the FAS to stop creating new departments and instead opt to establish centers, stand-alone concentrations, or stand-alone secondaries.

New concentrations and secondaries can be offered without as much effort as establishing a new department, especially for areas of scholarly inquiry that Harvard has not yet cultivated deeply. A secondary administered by a provisional committee would require little new infrastructure.

This restructuring will allow for the FAS to move in the direction of consolidating resources across the University to meet student demand for academic concentrations. Long term, this flexibility allows for new fields of studies to be added in response to academic innovation and cuts the costs and time associated with formally establishing new departments.

Nevertheless, the FAS is incredibly pre-occupied at the moment with cost-cutting measures in light of heartbreaking funding changes. Still, as the University looks to evolve with the pace of academia and the world’s development, fields of study like urban studies cannot be overlooked. Students, and this moment in history, demand serious academic study devoted to urban topics.

As we go about our four years in the beautiful city of Cambridge, it becomes all the more relevant for us to think critically about the environment we inhabit.

Ira Sharma ’28, an Associate Editorial Editor, is an Economics Concentrator in Mather House.