Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi is a leading expert in city diplomacy and the Founding Director of the City Diplomacy Lab. He lectures at Sciences Po–PSIA, École Polytechnique, and Columbia University in Paris, and is the author of City Diplomacy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), the first handbook dedicated to the field.
His work explores how cities and local governments address global and regional challenges such as climate change, migration, rising inequality, and geopolitical tensions.
He has delivered policy recommendations on multilevel global governance to the United Nations and UNESCO, and has coordinated cities’ collective advocacy at major international gatherings such as the UN Forum of Mayors, World Urban Forums, and COP summits.
Lorenzo has designed and led numerous training programs for municipal leaders and curates international knowledge-exchange initiatives with partners including UNEP, UNHCR, WHO, GIZ, and Eurocities.
A multilingual author and speaker, his work has been featured in major academic and policy platforms including IFRI, IAI, IEMed, and the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, as well as in media outlets such as Le Monde Diplomatique, Il Sole 24 Ore, and Corriere della Sera.
He holds a dual PhD in Political Studies from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS, Paris) and LUISS Guido Carli (Rome).
Publications:
- “Multi-Level Governance for Sustainable Urban Development: Enhancing the Role of Cities and Local Authorities in National and International Decision-Making”, co-authored with B. Evans, M. Tarantino, A. Hedjazi, M. Lertora, and C. de Silva. Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, September 2025.
- Localising Political Risk. A Framework for Analysing Political Risk Associated with City Diplomacy, in C. E. Sottilotta, J. Campisi, J. Leitner, & H. Meissner (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Political Risk (1st ed., pp. 186–206). Routledge, 2025
- When City Diplomacy Meets Geopolitics: A Framework to Help Cities Navigate Geopolitical Risk, co-authored with C.E. Sottilotta, IFRI Memos, IFRI, February 2025
- Cities at the Crossroads: Understanding and Navigating City Diplomacy Risk, co-authored with C.E. Sottilotta, City Diplomacy Lab Policy Briefs, City Diplomacy Lab, December 2024
- The Evolution of City Diplomacy in Africa: Impact, Potential, and Ongoing Challenges of African Cities’ International Activities, IFRI Papers, IFRI, November 2024
- Impact of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network at Local, National & International Level, author of the draft, UNESCO 2024
- Dall’internazionalizzazione subita a quella gestita? Diplomazia delle città , coesione territoriale e rigenerazione urbana in Europa, Urbanistica Informazioni 2023, 39, 25
- Branding, Diplomacy, and Inclusion: The Role of Migrant Cuisines in Cities’ Local and International Action, Societies 2023, 13, 151
- City Diplomacy: An Emerging Tool to Enhance Wellbeing in MENA Cities, IEMed Mediterranean Yearbook 2022
- How Cities Cooperate to Address Transnational Challenges, in Brears, R.C. (ed.) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021
- For a New Municipalism. From the Pandemic Crisis to the Response of Cities, Broken Cities. Re-composing eco-social cleavages for a new urban agenda, Fondazione Feltrinelli, 2021
- Cities as Public Diplomacy Actors, co-authored with Amiri, S., in Alexander, C. (ed.) The Frontiers of Public Diplomacy: Historical and Contemporary Boundaries, Routledge, 2021
- Diplomazia delle CittĂ , Egea, 2021
- La diplomatie des villes au service de la cohésion économique, sociale et territorial, Raisonnance / Association Internationale des Maires Francophones (AIMF), March 1, 2021
- City Diplomacy and the “Glocal” Skills to Foster Peace, Local Governments and a Culture of Peace, UCLG, March 2021
- Le siècle métropolitain, Manière de Voir n°175, Le Monde Diplomatique, February-March 2021
- City Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020
- Sfida globale, soluzione locale? Governance partecipata e diplomazia delle città per uscire dalla crisi, About Cities, n°2/2020
- Vers un renforcement des liens entre collectivités territoriales françaises et coréennes, Cités Unies France, October 13, 2020
- Les villes au cĹ“ur des relations internationales, L’Union, August 31, 2020
- Diplomatie des métropoles et Covid-19, Eurasia Prospective, May 29, 2020
- Les villes, une alternative diplomatique à la gestion de la pandémie, Telos, May 24, 2020
- Il ruolo delle città nell’emergenza, AffarInternazionali, May 10, 2020
- Pandemia, relazioni internazionali e diplomazia delle cittĂ , Fondazione Feltrinelli, April 23, 2020
- A New Season for Cultural City Branding, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, March 18, 2020
- Tra rabbia ed entusiasmo, le due internazionalizzazioni delle cittĂ francesi, Fondazione Feltrinelli, March 16, 2020
- Le nouveau rôle international des villes (et pourquoi il faut l’encourager), Terra Nova, March 13, 2020
- “Villes et communautĂ©s religieuses : potentiel d’un partenariat pour le dĂ©veloppement durable”, Raisonnance, no. 12, October 2019
- “Et si le salut de l’Europe passait par les villes?”, L’Union, July 30, 2019
- “Quand le local et l’international « se parlent ». Le potentiel des réseaux internationaux des villes dans la projection de l’identité urbaine”, Raisonnance, no. 11, September 2018
- “Promoting Diversity as a Tool for Urban Cultural Dynamism: Milan’s Experience”, proceedings of the 2015 UNAOC Alumni Event Celebrating Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue through the Arts, Milan, July-August 2015​​
- “The Cross-National Coordination of Urban Food Policies in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: The Urban Food Policy Pact Initiative as a Model for Enhanced Food Security in the South Mediterranean Region”, co-authored with C.E. Sottilotta, in Building Sustainable Agriculture for Food Security in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, Edizioni Nuova Cultura, 2015​
- “Sicurezza alimentare e urbanizzazione: le sfide”​, AffarInternazionali, Istituto Affari Internazionali, June 8, 2015
- “I migranti, nuovi protagonisti della vita culturale milanese”, Buone Notizie, Corriere della Sera, November 12, 2014