Stuart Weitzman School of Design
102 Meyerson Hall
210 South 34th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
During the 2026-27 admissions cycle, we enthusiastically invite applications from prospective doctoral students for up to two openings for new Doctoral Fellows in the History of the Built Environment! Fellowships include five years of funding for the PhD in City & Regional Planning, with matriculation to begin in Fall 2027. See below for further information regarding associated admissions and program requirements.
In 2021, the Department of City & Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design launched the Initiative in the History of the Built Environment (HBE). The initiative organizes and amplifies existing teaching and expertise in the history of the built environment at Penn; promotes new scholarship in this interdisciplinary area; and especially supports doctoral students committed to studying history in the fields of city planning, historic preservation, and design. Through this initiative, Penn seeks to become the premier place to study urban, planning, landscape, and architectural history within its social, political, and cultural contexts.
Our doctoral degree program is oriented toward students who have already completed a master's degree. For those students who have not yet completed any graduate studies, the Weitzman School also offers a Master's Degree in Historic Preservation with a concentration in the Public History of the Built Environment. Please see the Department of Historic Preservation for further info.
Francesca Russello Ammon (Director), City & Regional Planning and Historic Preservation
Sarah Lopez, City & Regional Planning and Historic Preservation
Anne Berg, History
Eugenie Birch, City & Regional Planning
Brent Cebul, History
Jared Farmer, History
Emma Hart, History
Fernando Lara, Architecture
Randall Mason, City & Regional Planning and Historic Preservation
Akira Drake Rodriguez, City & Regional Planning
Jessica Varner, Landscape Architecture
Domenic Vitiello, City & Regional Planning
Brian Whetstone, Historic Preservation
The Graduate Group in City & Regional Planning enthusiastically invites applications for up to two Doctoral Fellowships in the History of the Built Environment. Fellowships include five years of funding for the PhD in City & Regional Planning, with matriculation to begin in Fall 2027.
Doctoral Fellows in the History of the Built Environment complete coursework and other program requirements across both Weitzman School of Design and the School of Arts & Sciences. Core courses include the doctoral colloquium in City & Regional Planning, readings and research seminars in the History of the Built Environment, and readings and methods courses in History. Students can tailor additional electives across the departments in Weitzman School of Design—including Architecture, City & Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, Landscape Architecture, and Fine Arts—as well as in departments and schools throughout the university.
Applicants should follow the standard City & Regional Planning doctoral admissions process, with applications due December 16, 2026. Within their application, they should be sure to use their research statement to elaborate upon their particular interest in the urban or metropolitan history of the built environment. In addition, the submitted writing sample should showcase historical research, ideally based upon primary sources.
To learn more about the doctoral program in City & Regional Planning at Penn, please see our website and/or direct any questions to Eugenie Birch, director of the Graduate Group. Interested applicants may also direct questions about the Initiative in the History of the Built Environment, in particular, to Francesca Russello Ammon or Sarah Lopez.
Doctoral students in City & Regional Planning typically complete 20 course units, taken at a rate of four course units per semester. For Fellows in the History of the Built Environment, this coursework includes:
In addition, all students will complete all other research fellow, teaching fellow, jury service, examination, and dissertation requirements consistent with the City & Regional Planning doctoral program, as outlined in the Doctoral Student Handbook.
9/1/2023: Rachel Bondra is Inaugural Fellow in the History of the Built Environment
4/6/2022: Historian and Migration Scholar Sarah Lopez to Join Weitzman Faculty
10/20/2021: New Interdisciplinary Initiative in the History of the Built Environment Looks Beyond Conventional Power Brokers
