Sarah Mineko Ichioka is an urbanist, strategist, curator and author. She founded and helms Desire Lines, a cross-disciplinary studio that helps places, communities, and organizations chart paths toward thriving futures. In previous roles Sarah has explored the intersections of cities, society and ecology within leading institutions of culture, policy and research across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Sarah serves on the boards of the Klosters Forum, Participate in Design and ArtScience Museum. She is a sought-after adviser and judge for initiatives related to regenerative development, urbanism, and design including the Holcim Foundation Awards for Sustainable Construction, XXII and XXIII editions of the Triennale di Milano, the Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge, Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, Water as Leverage for Resilient Cities Asia, and the European Prize for Urban Public Space.

The Financial Times has called her latest book, Flourish: Design Paradigms for our Planetary Emergency, co-authored with Michael Pawlyn, “the one book to read to understand your industry”. Flourish has also been praised by prominent voices including Es Devlin, Kate Raworth, Audrey Tang and Alice Rawsthorn.

Sarah has been recognized as a Treseder Fellow of the Melbourne School of Design, a Designing Cities for All Regeneration Fellow of Pakhuis de Zwijger (Amsterdam), a World Cities Summit Young Leader, one of the Global Public Interest Design 100, a British Council / Clore Duffield Cultural Leadership International Fellow, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

A prominent public speaker, she regularly delivers keynote lectures and panels on public space, culture-led transformation, and regenerative development at high-profile events around the world. Her work has been featured in international outlets including BBC World Service, CNN, Bloomberg, Channel News Asia, Monocle, Wallpaper*, Dezeen, Straits Times and Folha de S.Paulo.

Sarah’s critical writing has been published by the Centre for Contemporary Culture Barcelona, La Biennale di Venezia, Centre for Liveable Cities Singapore, Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, London Society, and the U.K.’s Serpentine Gallery and Barbican Centre amongst others.

Raised in California, and currently based in Singapore, Sarah holds degrees from Yale University and the London School of Economics and Political Science.