Validated Expert info
Expert can perform the Lead expert role and Ad hoc expertise missions at network and programme level in relation to:
1. The design and delivery of (transnational) exchange and learning activities
2. Thematic expertise:
> Equality, diversity and inclusion
3. Methods and tools for integrated and participatory approaches:
> Securing funding and resourcing
> Sustaining stakeholder engagement and translating strategies into actions
Summary
Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi is an internationally recognized expert in city diplomacy, with a strong record of advising international organizations, national governments, city networks, and municipalities on how to strategically design and implement international action. As Founding Director of the City Diplomacy Lab and Lecturer at Sciences Po–PSIA, École Polytechnique, and Columbia University, he combines applied research, teaching, and hands-on advisory work to advance the role of cities in global governance.
His work spans the full spectrum of city-to-city international cooperation, covering thematic areas such as climate action, digital transition, economic development, equity and inclusion, cultural diplomacy, city branding, and urban planning. His advisory portfolio includes impact assessments of city networks (such as the UNESCO Creative Cities), and policy recommendations on the evolution of global and regional forums, including the UN Forum of Mayors, the Europe-Africa Biennial, and the Arab-European Cities Dialogue. He has contributed to high-level events at the United Nations, World Urban Forum, and COP summits, supporting cities in demonstrating leadership on peace, international cooperation, sustainable development, equity, and resilience.
At the City Diplomacy Lab, he led the creation of a comprehensive capacity-building offer that includes over 25 intensive thematic courses for municipal officers worldwide. These trainings—carried out in partnership with UNHCR, Mayors for Peace, AIMF, and the South African Cities Network—equip city practitioners to develop action plans that leverage city diplomacy in key areas such as migration, gender equity, digital transition, sustainable water management, social housing, and economic development.
In parallel, he curates knowledge-exchange initiatives connecting municipal leaders, experts, and institutions to foster peer learning and shared urban innovation. Partners in these efforts include WHO, GIZ, Columbia University, Eurocities, CLGF, and others.
He is also a prolific author. His City Diplomacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) is the first handbook dedicated to this emerging field and has become an essential reference for both scholars and practitioners. He has contributed to The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures and The Routledge Handbook of Political Risk, and regularly publishes with leading policy institutions including IFRI, IAI, IEMed, and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. His op-eds and articles have appeared in Le Monde Diplomatique, Il Sole 24 Ore, and Corriere della Sera.
Fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Italian, he brings a multilingual, multilevel, and multistakeholder approach to advancing urban resilience, sustainability, and international cooperation through city diplomacy.