Architecture | Urban Design | Planning | Sustainability
Stefan Al connects architectural and urban design with research, writing, and teaching. Working across buildings, neighborhoods, and cities, he explores how design can respond to environmental, technological, and social change—and shape better places to live.
Stefan’s design work spans buildings, public spaces, and mixed-use districts. His experience includes the 2,000-foot Canton Tower and its surrounding masterplan at Information Based Architecture, and large-scale urban developments as a Senior Associate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox. Through Stefan Al Architects, he brings research and design experimentation to questions of density, housing, and climate resilience.
Architectural Design
Urban Design
Previous Experience
Books
Across ten authored, co-authored, and edited books, Stefan explores how architecture and urban design can address the challenges of housing, climate adaptation, mobility, and density. His books examine how decisions about buildings, streets, and public spaces shape urban life—and how designers can make cities more livable and resilient. His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR, and has received honors including the National Urban Design Award.
His latest authored book, Dwelling on Earth: The Past and Future of the Places We Call Home, received a Gold Medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, was named a Next Big Idea Club Must-Read, and earned a starred review from Library Journal. Other titles include Supertall, The Strip, Beyond Mobility, and Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise.
“A thoughtful inquiry into the new generations of skyscrapers"
—The New York Times
“A refreshingly grounded design approach”
—Journal of Planning Education and Research
”Convincingly reinforces the links between sustainable cities and economic performance”
—National Urban Design Awards
Silver Medal, Independent Publisher Book Awards
Keynote speaking
Stefan Al frequently speaks about cities, sustainability, and urban design. He has presented at venues including TED (where he was a TED Resident), the Smithsonian, and conferences worldwide. Drawing on his research and ten books, his presentations translate complex urban challenges for divers audiences, covering topics such as urban design, climate resilience, and high-density development.
“A thoughtful and dynamic presenter who perfectly balances academic insight with broad public appeal.”
Featured TED Talk: “Re-imagining Parking in an Autonomous Future”
Explore additional keynotes and topics on Stefan’s Speaking page
About
Stefan Al, PhD RA LEED AP is an architect, urban designer, and Associate Professor and Director of the Urban Planning Program at Hunter College, City University of New York. For more than twenty years, he has combined international design practice with scholarship and teaching, treating design as both a way of understanding cities and a means of transforming them.
His project portfolio includes design work on the 2,000-foot Canton Tower (while at Information Based Architecture)—briefly the world's tallest. Al has published ten books on architecture, urbanism, and the built environment, with reviews and features in outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Architectural Record. As a commentator on urbanism and design, he has appeared on CNN, NPR, and the Science Channel.
He holds a PhD in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley and is a registered architect in New York and the Netherlands.
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