OK - I’m not sure it’s the best way to pick a school for the major. I wouldn’t define GW as urban with a campus and I’d think it’d be more for policy - but Gtown and to a lesser extent American would fit better for campus (not necessarily major). I don’t see BU as a campus. A College of Charleston - not near as academicky - would be that school but he could qualify for Charleston Fellows - like my daughter. You get kids, like my daughter’s BFF, who turned down Vandy, Rice, and Penn to go. Their strength will be the water.
When you say Georgia Tech, I say Pitt. That’s a reasonable and urban like safety and strong in most things.
But if the interest was hydrology, I might say UMN (city but much bigger) or Arizona. Climate change - Wisconsin or Washington? Earth Science - Pitt, Arizona, Washington and Wisconsin.
Lots of urban schools - but to me, the counter to Ga Tech…size, somewhat environmentally, would be Pitt - and frankly, much a better fit than some you have based on major and what you describe.
The other thing is - you don’t have cost issues but environmental scientists are likely of less demand in the future and salaries are typically low….so if you do an ROI, the $100K schools likely aren’t smart choices.
Best of luck.