15th Annual Design Futures Forum
Design Futures is a 5-day convening to reimagine the role of the designer as centering community power in the built environment.
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
June 7-11th, 2027
“This is the first place where I've really been able to express myself as a Black architect” 2024 Student
“The experience was transformative. The tools and perspectives I gained are already influencing how I think about my education, my work, and my responsibilities as a designer.” Dorothy Philip (2025) University of Virginia
“It was truly an unforgettable experience.”
Yanjie Zhang (2024), University of Pennsylvania
Yanjie Zhang (2024), University of Pennsylvania
Our university network has included over 30 institutions:
Arizona State University
Art Center College of Design
California College of the Arts
Carnegie Mellon University
Cornell University
Kansas State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mississippi State University
Morgan State University
Pennsylvania State University
Portland State University
Art Center College of Design
California College of the Arts
Carnegie Mellon University
Cornell University
Kansas State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mississippi State University
Morgan State University
Pennsylvania State University
Portland State University
Samford University
Smith College
Southern Methodist University
Tulane University
University of California, Berkeley
University of Cincinnati
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Georgia
University of Illinois
University of Kentucky
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Smith College
Southern Methodist University
Tulane University
University of California, Berkeley
University of Cincinnati
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Georgia
University of Illinois
University of Kentucky
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of New Mexico
University of Oregon
University of Southern California
University of Texas Arlington
University of Texas Austin
University of Utah
University of Virginia
Washington University in St. Louis
University of Minnesota
University of New Mexico
University of Oregon
University of Southern California
University of Texas Arlington
University of Texas Austin
University of Utah
University of Virginia
Washington University in St. Louis
Spots are first come first serve
Cohort Membership
+ Send one faculty member and up to five students to the Design Futures Forum at University of Minnesota.
+ Faculty participate in gatherings and trainings before and after the forum to build capacity and develop relationships with other faculty.
Includes entry to the Forum for faculty and students, on-campus housing for the students and all food except dinners. Travel and other expenses are not included.
Individual Registration
+ Entry for one student to the Design Futures Forum at University of Minnesota.
+ Requires short application process.
Includes entry to the Forum, on-campus housing and all food except dinners. Travel and other expenses are not included.
Early Bird Fee: $7,300*
Standard Fee: $7,700
Additional Student(s): $1,100 per student
Additional Faculty: $1,100 per faculty
*Payment due by 12/31/26
Fee: $1,400
Inspired by Octavia Butler’s work, this session invited designers into an immersion on how to navigate compounding crises with collective action and imagination as the medicine for overwhelm and isolation.
> Data for Civic Action: Accessible Tech Tools for Spatial Justice & Community Design.
Hands-on and pragmatic, this session explored how spatial data can expose injustice—and fuel community power. Designers learned foundational GIS skills while practicing how tell stories with data that shift power.
> Toppling Statues: Memorials, Monuments and Designing a New Commemorative Landscape.
Designers unpacked the responsibility they hold to reimagine memorials and monuments as a tool for uplifting stories that have been buried in collective memory. Through case studies, designers learned innovative approaches in commemorative landscape design that center co-creation, truth-telling and healing.
“Wow, being here has been really inspiring. Not just with what's happening. It's really been a refurbishment of the spirit as I've been putting it. It's expanded my understanding of what's possible.” Taylor Baskin (2026), University of Virginia
I feel so inspired about what my career as a designer looks like... I needed this. I was not expecting this.” Michael Scarboro (2024) Washington University in St. Louis
“You will see quick, tangible growth in your students that you may not be able to achieve in a semester worth of time because here are so many experts here who are sharing their knowledge and lived experiences” Vibhavari Jani (2026), Professor at Kansas State University