The 2023-2024 season of H+U+D allowed us to gather as a cohort once again, with
full in-person activities and a re-energized sense of academic fellowship. Through
the continued prism of our theme of “The Inclusive City: Past, Present, and Future,”
the Mellon-funded initiative brought together a diverse group of scholars with the
shared mission of using humanistic and design strategies for racial justice, gender
equality, infrastructure access, and community involvement.
In September 2023, the H+U+D Colloquium welcomed several new Faculty Fellows
and two Graduate Fellows from the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) and the
Weitzman School of Design (Design). Along with returning Faculty Fellows,
colloquium members expanded the themes undertaken by the previous cohort, with
a focus on inclusion and diversity in the city and built environment broadly construed.
Some of cross-School synergies that emerged included critical approaches to
monument history, planning and international migrant rights, and cross-disciplinary
pandemic response.
In AY22-23, H+U+D sponsored two courses: a seminar collaboration with our
“Anchor Institution,” Mural Arts Philadelphia; and an undergraduate city seminar that
allowed students to travel abroad and to learn about the international migrant
experience as lived by five migrant communities who have made Palermo Sicily their
home. H+U+D also continued its support of student research by awarding twelve
grants to undergraduates and graduate students. The awardees presented their
work during three colloquium sessions in Spring 2023. Their research ranged from
investigating the creation of inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ+ community to
exploring innovative ways to design environmentally sustainable cities across the
globe. As in previous years, HUD funded two dissertation fellows, one in Design and
one in SAS.
AY22-23 was the final year of H+U+D’s second 5-year grant cycle, and we are
grateful for the Mellon Foundation’s approval of a one-year extension to our unused
grant funds. This will allow us to continue the faculty colloquium and support student
research that furthers our goal to create a stimulating and enriching set of activities
that resonates with Penn’s wider commitment to civic engagement. The H+U+D
interdisciplinary initiative has as its central mission a commitment to building bridges:
bridges across the disciplines, across generations of scholars, and between Penn,
Philadelphia, and a global network of cities with a vision to greater inclusivity. It is
these interdisciplinary collaborations and connections which ensure that our mission
to combine the Humanities with Design contributes to imagining, analyzing, and
constructing public spaces that are inclusive, sustainable, and diverse.

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