Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi is a Paris-based senior fellow with GMF Cities, where he co-leads the Anchoring Transatlantic Ties in a Changing World project. The initiative strengthens cooperation between European and North American cities.
Dr. Kihlgren Grandi is the founding director of the City Diplomacy Lab, a UN Economic Commission for Europe center of excellence for sustainable urban development. He also teaches city diplomacy at Sciences Po's Paris School of International Affairs, the École Polytechnique, Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe in Bologna, and on Columbia University's Paris campus.
Prior to joining GMF, Dr. Kihlgren Grandi served as scientific coordinator of the Urban7 Summit 2026 and shaped the agenda of multilevel events at other major international gatherings, including the UN Forum of Mayors, the World Urban Forum, and COP summits. He designed and led training programs for municipal leaders and curated international knowledge-exchange initiatives with partners such as the UN Environment Programme, GIZ (the German development agency), and Eurocities, the network of major European cities.
Dr. Kihlgren Grandi holds a dual PhD from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales and the Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli. He is the author of "City Diplomacy," the field's founding handbook. He is also an expert with the EU's URBACT program and the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities program, and a UN Alliance of Civilizations Fellowship alumnus.