Diana Lind
September 13, 2018 — People
Housing Fellow, NewCities
Diana Lind is a writer and urban policy specialist. Her book, BRAVE NEW HOME: OUR FUTURE IN SMARTER, SIMPLER, HAPPIER HOUSING (Bold Type Books), will be published on October 13, 2020.
Diana currently leads the Arts + Business Council for Greater Philadelphia, where her work fosters an exchange between the creative and business communities. She also serves on the management team of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
In 2008, Diana moved to Philadelphia to become the editor in chief of Next City, a leading urbanist website and nonprofit. Diana later also became the organization’s executive director. She also served as a founding adviser to the New Cities Foundation and received a fellowship from the Van Alen Institute. Through these experiences, she became known nationally as an expert on cities.
A graduate of Cornell University (B.A., English) and Columbia University (M.F.A. in Creative Writing), Diana has held positions at Architectural Record magazine, Rizzoli International Publications, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The University of Pennsylvania. She is also the author of Brooklyn Modern: Architecture, Interiors & Design (Rizzoli, 2008).
She is a regular op-ed contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Citizen, and in addition to an extensive number of articles for Architectural Record and Next City, Diana’s writing has been published in The New York Times and The Hill, among other venues. She is a frequent public speaker, and has given keynotes or participated in panels at more than 100 events, including major conventions like the World Urban Forum and Smart City Expo. She has received honors such as the TED City 2.0 prize, the ACLU Stand Up for Freedom award, and a funded residency at Blue Mountain Center. She serves on the board of The Philadelphia Citizen.
Born and raised in Manhattan, she currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Greg Heller, the executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, and their children.