Next City’s journalism centers marginalized voices while amplifying solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities. At a time when cities face rampant inequality and urgent challenges, Next City’s work as a nonprofit is critical: by spreading real stories and workable ideas from one city to the next, we connect people, places and solutions that move our society toward justice and equity.
Next City’s readers are the city-builders who share our vision for the transformation of cities. Our core audience consists of individuals working in city planning, finance, architecture, media, academia, transportation, the arts — or within any sector that must collaborate to make cities run more equitably. These are the thinkers and doers who often wear many hats in their communities. This dynamic group uses Next City as a trusted resource for professional education and exploration. The extended audience consists of the people who are part of the change process in cities: grassroots organizers, activists, advocates, elected officials, local business and nonprofit leaders, and voters.
Next City's service to a movement for racial equity and justice is evident in every facet of our work. Any news outlet, though, is only as impactful as its readers. The 2020 reader survey found that 75% rely on Next City for their jobs. When asked whether their job brings about greater racial equity, almost 90% say yes. Even so, as civic leaders of color look around their professions, they might feel like one voice among the many. Next City adds our bullhorn to theirs every day.
Our mission is to unleash the transformative power of solutions-based journalism to equip communities and their leaders with the knowledge and connections to reimagine cities as liberated places of economic, environmental and racial justice. We accomplish this by uplifting diverse perspectives and marginalized narratives.
Our vision is a world in which people in cities build flourishing societies that liberate all of us from systems and cultures of oppression.
Next City publishes hundreds of stories on solutions to urban issues each year, leading ultimately to a narrative shift about what’s possible. Research has found that when news stories discuss potential answers to problems, readers leave feeling more knowledgeable and empowered to solve them. Readers are statistically more likely to act, to donate to support an organization, and to evolve their opinion. Where solutions journalism is healthy, America has more informed and engaged communities.
We also compile our best reporting into ebooks, host webinars with practitioners who share lessons from their work, and convene live events such as our annual Vanguard Conference for rising urban leaders. More than 500 Vanguard alumni are working today around the globe.
We are a continual source of innovation and inspiration, elevating marginalized voices for diverse perspectives, and giving readers the knowledge and support they need to lead and influence change. We are journalists first and foremost, taking a critical eye to solutions, understanding what is working or not working, why and why not. Next City is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit that adheres to the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. We are dedicated to producing journalism that is accurate, transparent, fair and impactful.
Originally named The Next American City, the organization began publishing a quarterly magazine in 2003. What started as a black-and-white printed publication founded by three college students and staffed by volunteers ultimately grew into a popular and influential magazine that reached 1 million people over the course of its 31 issues. Today, Next City is a trusted voice on urban policy, reaching roughly 2 million influential doers and changemakers via Next City's website annually. Another 170,000 follow coverage on social media, and 40,000 subscribe to newsletters. All are in search of ways that cities can be reimagined as truly equitable and just.
We hold ourselves accountable for our role in advancing a fully equitable democracy that works to overturn systems of oppression and lead to liberation.
We acknowledge hard truths and always uphold journalistic principles of transparency, fairness and accuracy.
We value imagination that finds different and better solutions to problems, grounded within affected communities.
We recognize the voices and experiences of marginalized communities by centering their dignity in how we work, what stories we tell, who we publish.
We believe collaboration is a superpower that inspires and fuels change, and we offer space for new ideas to flourish and diverse partners to connect with each other.
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As the world is increasingly urbanized, with ultimately 70% of the future population living in cities, the need is urgent for solutions that counter systemic inequity and injustice.
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Next City believes people of cities can create just change in our communities, if we can connect with each other and spread knowledge about solutions.
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Next City uses transparent, fair, accurate journalism to amplify groundbreaking and overlooked solutions that uplift the perspectives of people who have been excluded by systems of power.
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Next City amplifies these narratives by engaging journalists, stories and sources that are not part of traditional media. Next City strengthens a movement that promises workable ideas can spread from one city to the next city.
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Next City leverages the power of our platform to host events that connect these changemakers and uplift their ideas, cultivating grassroots leadership across sectors and inspiring community action in cities.
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Democracy is strengthened. People liberate cities from systems and cultures of oppression, and everyone flourishes on their own terms.
"Let’s get back to normal. You’ve probably heard that more than a few times as we continue navigating life in an evolving pandemic. But the normal in The Before Times wasn’t so great for far too many people and communities. A return to that normality means embracing deep inequity and injustice as tolerable features of city life and city-building practice. That is unacceptable. It’s not a return to normal that we should desire or work toward. Instead — especially as community changemakers — we should chart a course for a future that is equitable, just, and humane. Our team at Next City — board and staff — have spent the last several months thinking about that future and articulating our role in helping to shape it. Today we’re sharing a new strategic plan that boldly affirms our commitment to the diverse changemakers, like you, who are working to liberate our cities from oppression and to the high-quality solutions journalism essential for informing that work."
—Lynn M. Ross, board member
Download a Summary of the Strategic Plan
As a news organization with a nonprofit structure, we leverage donations, grants and sponsorships to provide knowledge and connections to city-builders, leaders, and residents in the form of news, events and experiential learning. Find more information on how to advertise with us in our media kit. All underwritten or sponsored content is clearly and obviously labeled. We do not accept sponsorships, underwriting or ads from organizations that we believe could undermine our mission or integrity. We accept gifts, grants and sponsorships from individuals and organizations for the general support of our activities and to support coverage of particular topics, but our organization maintains editorial control of the coverage. A directory of our institutional members is available online. Plus, past and present supporters, including sustaining members, major donors and corporate sponsors, can be found in a summary shared online or in our Solutions of the Year magazine.
Next City deeply appreciates its long-standing funders: Surdna Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and Citi, as well as our many other generous donors across the country. Support Next City’s work by making a 100% tax-deductible donation today.
The newest information about what's happening at Next City can be found on our Press page. If you are interested in inviting Next City to join your next event or in booking a reporter as a guest, please reach out through info@nextcity.org.
Executive Director
Lucas is executive director of Next City and host of our podcast. He's the former President of Pride Media and led LGBTQ brands The Advocate, Out magazine, Out Traveler, Plus magazine, and PRIDE.com, which he founded. Grindley was also editor in chief of The Advocate, the longest running LGBTQ magazine in the country. In both 2016 and 2018, NLGJA honored Grindley as “LGBTQ Journalist of the Year” with its Sarah Pettit Memorial Award. Previously, he was managing editor for online at National Journal magazine in Washington, D.C. Follow him on Threads @lucasgrindley.
Editorial Director
Deonna Anderson is Next City’s editorial director. An award-winning journalist, she has served as a senior editor at GreenBiz and worked with YES! Magazine, KLCC (an NPR affiliate station in Eugene, Oregon), The Lily, Atmos and other media outlets. Anderson is an alumna of the University of California, Davis and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She lives in the Bay Area. She was also Next City’s 2017-2018 Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow.
Managing Editor
Aysha Khan is Next City's managing editor. Her reporting has appeared nationally in outlets including the Associated Press, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe and Religion News Service. She has been awarded fellowships with the Solutions Journalism Network, the International Center for Journalists, the GroundTruth Project, the Journalism & Women Symposium, the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education and more. Aysha holds degrees from Harvard Divinity School and the University of Maryland. Follow her on Twitter @ayshabkhan.
Events Director
Sara is a marketing and events mastermind with more than 10 years of experience supporting small businesses, artists and nonprofits. She has worked with artists to donate tooth-related artwork for a dental surgery fundraiser, planned a flash mob for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and raised money for children orphaned by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. At Next City, she has organized several years of the Vanguard Conference for rising urban leaders.
Major Gifts Officer
Born and raised in Durham, Deryle graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he's served on multiple boards, including his current appointment to the university's Alumni Board of Directors. Over the past decade, he’s worked in the fields of development, marketing, and communications with universities, community groups, and schools. Outside of work, he enjoys photography, collecting rare whiskeys/whiskies (and is always happy discussing everything from their regional etymological differences to flavor profiles), and he’s a budding coffee enthusiast (who welcomes any tips). Connect with Deryle on Instagram at @DSquaredVisuals.
Integrated Sales & Marketing Partnerships Director
Pardise is experienced in business development, sales, and marketing. She knows firsthand the challenges marketing managers and media buyers face and her consultative approach brings extra value by advising on strategies that have the most impact. To find out how you can promote your organization through Next City, please email her at pardise@nextcity.org.
Audience Engagement Editor
Melissa is a multimedia journalist, techie, and recent Temple University graduate. The Philly native began her freelance career in 2012 and has since written for a host of Philadelphia-based news outlets including XPN the Key, Technical.ly Philly, and Grid Magazine. In addition to her media work, she has over five years of experience in information technology. Currently, Melissa explores her creative side through photography, publication design, and writing creative non-fiction. Follow her on Twitter @melsimpson215.
Senior Economic Justice Correspondent
Oscar covers policies, programs and businesses that seek to address historical disparities in access to jobs, capital and space for economic use in cities. He previously served as Next City’s editor from 2018-2019, and was a Next City Equitable Cities Fellow from 2015-2016. Since 2011, Oscar has covered community development finance, community banking, impact investing, equitable and inclusive economies, affordable housing, fair housing and more for media outlets such as Shelterforce, B Magazine, Impact Alpha, and Fast Company. Oscar holds a B.A. in Economics from Villanova University. Follow him on Twitter @oscarthinks.
Housing Correspondent
Roshan Abraham is a journalist whose reporting on criminal justice, housing and health has appeared in VICE, The Verge, Pacific Standard, The Village Voice, and more. A graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, Roshan was an Open City Fellow and a Witness Fellow at the Asian American Writers Workshop.
Administrative Manager
Since graduating from Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C., Eleanor has worked in administrative positions for a variety of organizations in Philadelphia. Formerly the Integrated Sales and Marketing Coordinator for Next City, Eleanor helped grow ad revenue streams by over 200%. She continues to practice art, and uses her creative skill set to keep operations smoothly running for Next City. Check out her illustrations for Next City.
Development Manager
Eboni has worked in nonprofit development since 2009. Her work in the sector began as a program director, and she accidentally got into development while working in that role. She has fundraised for organizations nationwide and prefers to work with those led by and serving marginalized voices.
Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow For Reparations Narratives
Barry Greene Jr. is a Next City and VPM joint Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow for Reparation Narratives covering stories in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia.
His bylines include Next City, Streetsblog USA, People for Bikes, and Fatherly to name a few. He is known for his green thumb and loves collecting vinyl records.
Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow for Social Impact Design
Maylin Tu is Next City's Equitable Cities Reporting Fellow for Social Impact Design. A freelance reporter based in Los Angeles, she writes about transportation and public infrastructure (especially bus shelters and bathrooms), with bylines in the Guardian, KCET, Next City, LAist, LA Public Press and JoySauce. She graduated with a BA in English from William Jewell College in Missouri.
Web Developer
Derek has been building (and rebuilding) the Next City website since 2007 out of his humble abode in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he designs and builds websites and custom code for publishers, artists, and nonprofits at home and abroad.
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San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
Eric Shaw is an urban planning professional with extensive experience in establishing and leading cross sector, cross discipline and cross jurisdictional partnerships in the areas of community and economic development. He has been recognized for his work establishing strategic initiatives that support inclusive development and resilience in communities throughout the nation. He has held positions in the public and philanthropic sectors in Washington, D.C., Salt Lake City, Louisiana, Silicon Valley, and Miami. He is currently Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development for the City and County of San Francisco.
Eric serves on the Harvard Graduate School of Design Alumni Council, is a board member of the UCLA Alumni Association and serves on the National Trust for Historic Preservation board of advisors. In 2017 and 2018, he was recognized in the OUTstanding Leading LGBT+ Public Sector Executives List, presented by the Financial Times.
Jamie Alderslade is an independent consultant serving clients in the financial services, further education, and non-profit arenas. His focus areas include strategy, communications, and stakeholder engagement with expertise in innovative community investment and public/private partnership solutions. Before going solo, Jamie served in various leadership roles within Citi’s community investment and development division including Global Director of Impact and Insights and Head of U.S. Community Relations. Jamie has spent his entire career driving initiatives that make the business case for inclusive and equitable economic growth. Before joining Citi, Jamie was Director of External Affairs at The Social Comact, Inc., a national coalition of business leaders committed to making the business case for greater investments in low-income neighborhoods and underserved communities of color. He has held positions focused on equitable economic development in both the U.S. and the U.K. He sits on the advisory board of the Initiative on Cities at Boston University and is a proud Next City Vanguard fellow (Chattanooga 2014)! Jamie has an M.Sc in Society and Environmental Policy from Oxford University and a B.A. in Human Geography from the London School of Economics
Mpact
Tamar Shapiro is the CEO of Mpact, formerly known as Rail~Volution, a national non-profit that equips individuals, organizations and regions with the tools and information to integrate transit, land use and community development decisions with what’s important for each community. She has two decades of experience working on policies and programs related to land use, housing, transportation, and community development.
Prior to joining Mpact, Tamar was Senior Manager of Strategic Initiatives for the New Urban Mobility alliance, hosted by WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. From 2012 to 2017, Tamar was President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit focused on the prevention and reuse of vacant and abandoned properties. Previously, Tamar was Senior Director of Urban and Social Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, as well as Director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design at Smart Growth America. An attorney by training, Tamar Shapiro worked at Klein Hornig, LLP, a law firm specialized in affordable housing development.
Tamar received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.Phil. in European Studies from the University of Cambridge, and a B.A. from Harvard College. She was the recipient of a McCloy Fellowship in Environmental Affairs to conduct a 2010 research project on vacant property policies in former East Germany. In 1999-2000, she was a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow in Berlin and worked at the Berlin Administration on Urban Planning and Environment as well as the German Institute for Urban Affairs.
Tulane University
Casius Pealer is the Associate Dean for Development and a Professor of Practice in Real Estate at Tulane University's School of Architecture. From 2014-2022 he was Director of Tulane's Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development (MSRED) program and started an undergraduate degree program in Real Estate. These interdisciplinary degree programs are housed in the School of Architecture and emphasize the connections between real estate development and social justice and environmental impact.
Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies
Syed Ali is a New Yorker and urban planner working towards a future in which where one lives does not determine one's health and wealth. He is currently Director of Partnerships and Operations at Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies, which strives to end the cycles of mass incarceration and mass homelessness in New York and to build capacity for faith-based organizations around the world.
At urban planning consulting firm HR&A Advisors, Syed’s work ranged from a citywide civic engagement campaign to downtown business development to food policy and infrastructure. Syed previously worked for FoodCorps, a national nonprofit connecting kids to healthy food in school. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Master in Urban Planning (MUP) program at Harvard University. Outside of work, Syed organizes for a more progressive New York. He is also on the boards of Next City and Engage New York, a statewide funder collaborative.
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Efrem Bycer is a member of LinkedIn's Global Policy Partnerships team where he leads a set of partnerships with government agencies and civic organizations to help connect workers to economic opportunity, particularly through job training and reemployment services. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Efrem led Code for America's efforts to help governments better leverage agile software development and user-centered design to support their economic and workforce development efforts. Efrem has more than a decade of experience working on economic development, workforce development, and public sector innovation.
In his spare time, Efrem is an avid runner, snowboarder, and homebrewer. Efrem has a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University and a Master's in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.
Symbium: The Computational Law Company
Kate Didech is an attorney and urban planner from the San Francisco Bay Area. She analyzes complex statutory regimes with gusto and develops solutions to make zoning and land use regulations more comprehensible, navigable, and actionable. Kate is the Director of Public Sector Innovation at Symbium and a fellow at CodeX: The Stanford Center for Legal Informatics.
UnidosUS
Mauricio Garcia is the Senior Vice President for Programs at UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization. For nearly 20 years, he has worked at the intersection of civil society, government, and the private sector to strengthen our communities and strive for social and economic justice.
Prior to UnidosUS, Mauricio served as Chief Program & Engagement Officer at Friends of the High Line, a nonprofit organization and a public park on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, where he oversaw its local and national place-based initiatives, including the High Line Network. He has also held leadership positions at Cities of Service (an initiative of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation), Seedco, Change Machine, and LISC.
Mauricio received a Master’s of Public Administration from the City University of New York’s Baruch College and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Oakland University. He is a proud graduate of the Coro Leadership New York program. Mauricio is originally from the Detroit area and lives in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Kaplan Kirsch Rockwell
Adam Giuliano has over 20-years’ experience working on infrastructure, transportation, energy, and related projects across the globe. He is currently a partner at a boutique law firm focused solely on U.S. infrastructure and related matters, most often in and around cities. As an attorney, he primarily advises state and local governments on the structuring, procurement, negotiation, financing, delivery, and management of complex and high-value projects, including on issues related to local community and workforce impacts and opportunities. His recent experience includes advising on transit and commuter rail system projects spanning new construction, system rehabilitation, and station accessibility, the potential deployment of autonomous vehicle technology by public transit agencies, an education, events, and mixed-use city district redevelopment effort, airport-related projects, and road and highway reconstruction projects.
Before pursuing his law degree, Adam served as a development officer for a nonprofit foundation concentrating on education reform, and economic and community development, in Newark, New Jersey.
Allison Joe, a lifelong Californian, is an urban planning and community design consultant working at the intersection of climate, economic, and racial justice, both on the ground and in our governmental institutions. Most recently at the City of Sacramento, she implemented equitable transportation, housing, youth, workforce, homelessness, and land use programs that center and directly benefit impacted communities. As an appointee of Governor Jerry Brown to the California Strategic Growth Council and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Allison supported the implementation of the groundbreaking California Climate Investments (CCI) program that focused investments on affordable housing, active transportation, transit, and land conservation resulting in more livable and vibrant communities across the state. Allison was a Next City Vanguard Fellow in 2013 (Cleveland).
Allison holds a Master in Planning from the University of Southern California and a bachelors degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Claremont McKenna College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, serves on the board of directors of APA California as the Vice President of Diversity and Equity and Mutual Housing California, and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and many arts organizations.
Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University
Jason Schupbach is the incoming Dean of the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University. He was formerly the Director of the Design School at Arizona State University, the largest and most comprehensive design school in the United States. In this position, he started the ambitious ReDesign.School project to reinvent design education for the 21st century, and is a key advisor to ASU on diverse projects such as the Center for Creativity and place, Roden Crater, the Creative Futures Lab, and ASU's Los Angeles downtown home.
Previous to this position he was Director of Design and Creative Placemaking Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, where he oversaw all design and creative placemaking grantmaking and partnerships, including Our Town and Design Art Works grants, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and the NEA's Federal agency collaborations. Previously, Jason served Governor Patrick of Massachusetts as the Creative Economy Director, tasked with growing creative and tech businesses in the state. He formerly was the Director of ArtistLink, a Ford Foundation funded initiative to stabilize and revitalize communities through the creation of affordable space and innovative environments for creatives. He has also worked for the Mayor of Chicago and New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs. He has written extensively on the role of arts and design in making better communities, and his writing has been featured as a Best Idea of the Day by the Aspen Institute.
The Blueprint Strategy Group
Courtney R. Snowden is the founder and president of The Blueprint Strategy Group, a boutique government and public affairs shop in Washington, DC.
She served her hometown as the Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity in Washington, DC, appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. A sixth-generation Washingtonian, she focused on revitalizing overlooked communities, emphasizing workforce, economic development, and small businesses.
Previously a Principal at The Raben Group, Courtney worked for corporate and nonprofit clients like Google, Mastercard, and the National Urban League and the National Education Association. Before that, she was the Senior Lobbyist for the National PTA, leading advocacy efforts on legislative issues and mobilizing its 6 million members. She also chaired the National Coalition for Public Education.
Courtney advocated for LGBTQ students as the Federal and National Policy Manager for GLSEN, expanding anti-bullying programs nationwide. She began her career with Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and later joined the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT political organization.
Environmental Works
Jess Zimbabwe is the Executive Director of Environmental Works Community Design Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit community-based architectural firm, founded in 1970 to provide professional architectural, landscape architecture, and planning services to nonprofit organizations, municipal agencies, and otherwise under-represented communities throughout Washington State.
Previously, she founded a consulting practice, Plot Strategies, and served for ten years as the founding Director of the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership—a partnership of the National League of Cities and the Urban Land Institute. The Center’s flagship programs were the Daniel Rose Fellowship in Land Use and the Equitable Economic Development Fellowship. Before that, Jess was the Director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and Vice President for Programs at the American Architectural Foundation. Prior to that, Jess served as the Community Design Director at Urban Ecology, providing pro bono community planning and design assistance to low-income neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jess is a member of the urban planning faculties at Georgetown University and the University of Washington. She earned a Master of Architecture and Master of City Planning from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from Columbia University. Jess was an Urban and Regional Policy Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and a Fellow of the Women’s Policy Institute. She serves on the boards of Next City, the National Main Street Center, and Colloqate, and she held a mayoral appointment to the DC Green Building Advisory Council. She is a licensed architect, a certified city planner, and a LEED-Accredited professional.
Next City is a nonprofit news organization that believes journalists have the power to amplify solutions and spread workable ideas from one city to the next city. Our mission is to inspire greater economic, environmental, and social justice in cities.
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