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The International Urban Fellows Program is the longest-running international fellows program in the United States with a focus on urban problems and policy. The program brings six to eight individuals who are involved in studying or addressing urban issues outside the United States to IPS for a semester or full academic year of advanced study. Those individuals selected as Fellows are scholars or practitioners who have previously demonstrated a high degree of experience and professional competence in urban studies research.

The focus of the Urban Fellows Program is the growth, decline, and revitalization of cities, and the welfare of urban residents, with Baltimore as a reference point. Each Fellow is linked to appropriate agencies in Baltimore to permit introduction to U.S. urban problems and policies in a direct way.

Junior Fellows are graduate students or young professionals who spend four or eight months at the Institute, typically register for one or two courses each semester from the course offerings at Johns Hopkins, and conduct the research project described in the proposal they submit with their application for admission to the Program. Senior Fellows spend four or eight months at the Institute. In addition to conducting their research projects. Senior Fellows also typically prepare technical assistance materials for use by policymakers or urban specialists in their home countries. Senior and Junior Fellows may also present lectures and seminars to the University community. Fellows meet periodically with Institute faculty and other staff to discuss their fellowship research projects, and become integrated into the educational and social life of the Institute for Policy Studies

All prospective Fellows and many alumni from the program’s 34-year history gather annually at an international conference on urban policy. The conferences provide an opportunity for host communities to benefit from the advice of these international experts. The 2000 conference, held in Baltimore, focused on developing new strategies for the future survival of aging industrial cities. The 2001 conference, held in Mersin and Istanbul, Turkey, focused on balancing development with preservation. The 2002 conference, held in Paris, focused on urban public safety. In 2003, the conference in Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia, focused on regional economic development strategies, particularly tourism. The 2004 conference was held in Padua and Venice, Italy and explored the impact of immigration on regions, cities, and communities. The 2005 conference in Zurich, Switzerland, focused on sustainable cities and regions and the 2006 conference in Barcelona, Spain, addresses city and metropolitan challenges in planning, governance, and new technologies.