Candy Chang

TED Senior Fellow & Urban Space Artist and Designer

TED Talk: Before I Die, I Want To . . .

Candy Chang is co-founder of Neighborland.com— a website that allows people to share their suggestions about improving the public spaces in their cities with others who have similar goals. This new digital tool, partnered with Change.org, provides residents with the resources needed to enact the changes they've suggested and even brings some of projects directly to the attention of policy makers.

Chang was chosen as one of six Community Advocates to speak on behalf of the 2012 TED Prize winner, “The City 2.0." During the ceremony, she spoke about her dreams for future cities. Chang’s experience working with residents, community organizations, companies, and governments in cities around the world—on projects about street vendors' rights, criminal justice, housing costs, career choices, downtown revitalization, economic development, and personal goals—gives her speeches a unique perspective for improving lives. She is creating a book on the "Before I Die" project that will include lots of walls from around the world, personal stories, and visual insights into our aspirations for urban living.

Fast Company named Candy Chang an Emerging Master of Design, and TED made her a Senior Fellow for 2011-2012. A former art director at The New York Times, and a 2011 Tulane/Rockefeller Foundation Urban Innovation Fellow, Chang has exhibited her work at the National Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, and has created public art commissions for civic institutions, airports, and creative organizations. She has also been selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.