Stefan Al is an architect and urban planner focused on sustainable, high-density cities. He directs the Urban Planning program at Hunter College and leads Stefan Al Architects, addressing challenges in urban design, housing, and climate resilience.
Early in his career, Al worked at Information Based Architecture in Amsterdam, contributing to the design of the 2,000-foot Canton Tower—briefly the world's tallest tower and now Guangzhou's most popular attraction. As Senior Associate Principal at KPF, he designed mixed-use master plans and high-rise towers across Asia and the US, working on tech campuses, office buildings, residential towers, and resorts for global clients.
His work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale (2021) and Shenzhen Biennale (2011, 2013, 2017). Al has advised UNESCO's World Heritage Center on preservation in Latin America, the Hong Kong government on harbor development and lighting guidelines, and the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on compact city design.
Canton Tower, Guangzhou
Al has authored or edited ten books exploring architecture, urbanism, and sustainability. His book Supertall: How The World’s Tallest Buildings Are Reshaping our Cities and our Lives was called a "thoughtful inquiry into the new generation of skyscrapers" by The New York Times Book Review. His co-authored Beyond Mobility: Planning Cities for People and Places won the 2019 National Urban Design Award and was named a 2019 Choice Outstanding Academic Title. His latest book, Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise: Green and Gray Strategies, was praised by the Journal of Planning Education and Research for its "refreshingly grounded design approach."
The Strip: Las Vegas and the Architecture of the American Dream was named a Wall Street Journal "best book to read" and received the Independent Publisher Book Award. His work on Asian urbanism includes Villages in the City, selected by Architectural Record as "one of the best" books on informal urbanism.
Al's academic work includes contributions to Oxford Bibliographies: Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, the SAGE Handbook of Architectural Theory, and the Journal of Urban Design, among others (Google Scholar profile). Al has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Wired, and CityLab.
Stefan directs the Urban Planning program at Hunter College and has taught at Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech, Pratt Institute, and the University of Hong Kong. At Penn, he co-taught the online course Designing Cities, which enrolled over 70,000 students.
He is a sought-after speaker on sustainable urbanism and design, with presentations at TED, the United Nations, the Smithsonian, the American Institute of Architects, and the Wharton School of Business.
For project opportunities, speaking engagements, or media inquiries, contact office@stefanal.com.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. City and Regional Planning, University of California, Berkeley
M.Arch. Architecture, University College London (with Merit)
M.Sc. Architecture, Delft University of Technology (with Distinction)
ETSAB Barcelona School of Architecture, Erasmus Program
REGISTRATIONS
Licensed Architect, New York State
Licensed Architect, The Netherlands
LEED Accredited Professional, U.S. Green Building Council
AFFILIATIONS
TED Resident
Fellow, Penn Institute for Urban Research
Founding Member, Hong Kong Institute of Urban Design
Fellow, Urban Design Forum
Member, Royal Institute of Dutch Architects
Member, Architectural Association
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