Have an account? Login. Need an account? Register.

Making cities better.

Pepsi Vanguard

About Us

The Next American City, Inc.
1315 Walnut Street, Suite 902
Philadelphia, PA, 19107
P. 215.546.4128
F. 215.261.6009

Next American City is a national quarterly magazine about making cities better. We observe, document and conceive realistic solutions about how to improve cities—how to ensure that future generations’ lives are improved, and not made more dangerous or unnecessarily complicated by the decisions we make. In each issue of the magazine you’ll find investigative features, thoughtful essays and interviews from the front lines of urban change and innovation.

Next American City is published by The Next American City, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America’s cities and examining how and why our built environment, economy, society and culture are changing. We achieve this goal through the publishing of a print and online magazine, events across the country, and advocacy on issues central to the future of cities.

Support our mission by making a donation to The Next American City, Inc.

The Team

  • Diana Lind

    Diana Lind, Editor in Chief and Publisher, joined Next American City in March 2008 and oversees the magazine and website’s editorial content, as well as develops the organization’s foundation and private support. She has produced NAC’s signature events, Next American Vanguard and Open Cities, and served as a speaker in the Distinguished Speakers Series at the University of Windsor, the Creative Cities Summit 2.0 and other venues. A graduate of Cornell University (B.A) and Columbia University (M.F.A.), Diana lives in Philadelphia’s Washington Square West neighborhood and sits on her local civic association’s board.

  • Tivoni Devor, Business Developer, joined Next American City in December 2009, and oversees the organization’s sponsorships and advertising relationships. Tivoni co-founded a touring film festival that criss-crossed the country four times in a converted bio-diesel fueled school bus, is a certified braille transcriber, Americrops Vista alumni, and is completing his MBA at Drexel University.

  • Julia Ramey

    Julia Ramey, Deputy Editor, joined Next American City in January 2009. She updates americancity.org on a daily basis and edits the quarterly magazine. Prior to living in Philadelphia, Julia worked for Portfolio and New York Magazine in New York. She holds a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University.

  • Anthony Smyrski

    Anthony Smyrski, Creative Director, has worked with Next American City since May 2008. Anthony runs the multidisciplinary design studio, Smyrski Creative, which has clients such as D.A.P., Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and WeJetSet. He also produces Megawords Magazine, a non-commercial record of place and human experience.

  • SuArra West

    SuArra West, Office Manager, joined Next American City in September 2008 and oversees the magazine’s subscription and fulfillment, daily business operations and human resources. In addition to working for Next American City, SuArra runs her own cake-baking business in West Philadelphia.

Spring 2010 Editorial and Marketing Assistants—Sarah Kasama, Amy Smith, and Willy Staley

Press

  • Winner, “Best Redesign”
    —2008 Ozzie Awards

  • Nominee for “Best Social/Cultural Coverage”
    —19th annual UTNE Independent Press Awards, 2007

  • Nominee for “Best Social/Advocacy Blog”
    —Golden Dot Awards, 2007

  • “Let others of their generation produce the next killer computer code or breakthrough indie film, this group believes that the road to global transformation runs through the realm of—get ready—housing, transportation and land use policy.”
    —New York Times

  • “Next American City ... emerges out of the knowledge that cities cannot be frozen in time and have to grow and change—but that the next generation will have to do better than the suburban sprawl that decimated our cities over the last century.”
    —Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker

Board of Directors

  • Vicki Been
  • Paul C. Brophy
  • Seth A. Brown,
  • Adam Gordon, Chair
  • Andrew Kleeman
  • Michelle Kuly
  • Anika Singh
  • Vickie Tassan

Advisory Board

(Affiliations for identification purposes only.)

  • Carl Anthony, University of California, Berkeley
  • Eugenie Birch, Penn Institute for Urban Research
  • Vishaan Chakrabarti, Related Companies
  • Sewell Chan, The New York Times
  • Cynthia Farrar, Yale University
  • Sheila Foster, Fordham Law School
  • Ester Fuchs, Columbia University
  • Joel Garreau, The Garreau Group
  • Alexander Garvin, Alex Garvin & Associates
  • Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker
  • Hugh Hardy, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture
  • Bruce Heitler, Heitler Development
  • W. Lehr Jackson, Williams Jackson Ewing
  • Robert Liberty, Portland Metro Council
  • Felicia Marcus, Trust for Public Land
  • Demetria McCain, Inclusive Communities Project
  • Terri Montague, Atlanta BeltLine
  • John Norquist, Congress for New Urbanism
  • Paloma Pavel, Earth House, Inc.
  • Wendell Pritchett, Rutgers University—Camden
  • Keith Schneider, Apollo Alliance
  • David Serviansky, Landstar Homes
  • Janet Smith-Heimer, Bay Area Economics
  • Susan Wachter, Penn Institute for Urban Research

Next American City deeply appreciates the support of Living Cities, the Surdna Foundation, Dan and Joanna Rose and our many other generous donors across the country.