Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, PhD

Dr. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi

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 field’s founding handbook, as well as a wider body of academic and policy publications that have helped shape the discipline.

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 currently serves as Scientific Coordinator of Urban7, the engagement group representing cities within the G7 process. He has also 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.

He holds a dual PhD in Political Studies from the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS, Paris) and LUISS Guido Carli (Rome).

Watch: Opening Remarks at the Urban7 2026 Summit

In his capacity as Scientific Coordinator of Urban7 on behalf of the City Diplomacy Lab, Dr. Kihlgren Grandi delivered the opening remarks of the Urban7 International Mayors’ Summit at the City Hall of Nancy on June 3, 2026 — marking the formal recognition of Urban7 as an official G7 Engagement Group.

Publications:

  • 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