About

Mustafa Sherif
info@mustafasherif.com

Born1993-07-31 (32 years)
Bagdad -Iraq

Works at AFRY
Title Studio Manager & Urban Planner
Lives in Stockholm -Sweden

Studied at KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, LTH Lund University & Politecnico di Milano.

Idols Jan Gehl (Architect), Zaha Hadid (Architect), Del Piero (Football player)

Favorite Cities Stockholm, Milano & Baghdad

Hobbies drawing, meeting new people, playing video games, exploring new places, Volunteering in events.

Favorite Sport & Team Football & Juventus Football club

Favorite video game Crash Bandicoot

Favorite TED talk How to Sound smart in your TEDx talk by Will Stephen.

Mustafa Sherif

Urban Planner
Mustafa is a passionate urban planner dedicated to creating places for children and all people. He specializes in leading public participation and community engagement in urban planning and design projects with a focus on placemaking. He is also working with the Swedish model of making cities for children “Child Impact Analysis”. In addition, he serves as a studio manager for Stockholm’s urban planning and landscape architecture team.

Storyteller
Mustafa Sherif launched the Urbanistica Podcast to inspire urban practitioners and promote people-centered city-making. With listeners in 140 countries, the podcast features over 450 episodes and more than 500 guests from around the world. It is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
He frequently lectures at universities, schools, and events, advocating for cities designed for people.

Placemaker
As a Placemaker, Mustafa plays a key role in expanding the placemaking network across Europe, acting as a connector, facilitator, and catalyst for Sweden’s placemaking initiatives. He is the Director of Placemaking Sweden, a platform for everyone interested in co-creating, developing, and managing vibrant places and cities throughout Sweden. He is also the initiator of the Nordic Placemaking Network.

Work experiences

Ongoing

Studio Manager & Urban Planner, AFRY
Director, Placemaking Sweden
Founder & Host, Urbanistica Podcast
Executive Assistant, Arkus Foundation
Mentor, Cities Forum

Past

Community Manager. Hack for Earth Foundation
Jury Member. VINNOVA. the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems.
Lecturer. KTH The Royal Institute of Technology
Urban Planner. Landskapslaget AB
Urban Planner Internship. Sweco Architect
Urban Planner Internship. Sweco Society
PA Senior Architect. Heidenstamska Arkiektur och Byggnationer AB
Teacher. Tycho Brahe Architecture High School
Librarian. LTH Lund University
Mathematics Tutor. LTH Lund University

Education

Master of Science. MS. Architecture and Urban Design. Politecnico di Milano Exchange
Master’s degree. Master’s program in Sustainable Urban Planning and Design. KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Science. Civil Engineering in Architecture. The Faculty of Engineering at Lund University
Civil Engineering 1 year – Road and Traffic Technology. The Faculty of Engineering at Lund University
Architecture High School. Tycho Brahe Skolan

Volunteer Experience

Ongoing

Ambassador. Open House Architecture Festival Stockholm
Election committee. City Planners Association Stockholm
Placemaking Advocate. PlacemakingX
Placemaking Leader. Placemaking Europe Network

Past

Co-Coach & Board Member. TEDxTalk Stockholm
Board Member. Urban Design & Planning Program, Berghs School of Communication.
Ambassador. H22 Helsingborg Smart City Expo
Chairman. City Planners Association Stockholm
Board Member. City Planners Association Stockholm
Jury Member. Engineering for Humanity Hackathon 2022
Jury Member. Byggvärlden. Årets Byggchef 2023 priset
Lead Jury Member. Hack for Södertälje Hackathon 2022
Partners Team IFLA. Sveriges Arkitekter
Door Opener. Yrkesdörren
Ambassador. Hack for Earth Foundation
Coach. Changers Hub
Communications Team IFLA. Sveriges Arkitekter
Head of Mentors. Open Hack
Pitching Mentor, Hack Her Health
Advocate. YSP Young Sustainability Professionals
Operation Team. Erasmus Student Network
Coach. Hack for Sweden
Lecturer. Open-Innovators.org
Agent. UN AGENDA 2020
Guide. Framtidsverket Event
Furniture maker. Woodhilstudios & graffiti Festival
Student Representative. Lund University
Painter. Helsingborg City Mural Art Project
Student Representative. Tycho Brahe school
Assistant. Fridays For Future International
Marks Maker. WWF
Receptionist. Gather Festival
Guide. Open House Architecture Festival
Painter. Stockholm City Mural painting
Graphic Designer. Climate Festival: What is next?
Workshop leader. Stockholm City Mural Painting Project

Organizations

Placemaking Europe
PlacemakingX
TEDx Stockholm

Honors & Awards

2024 Nova list of 111 talents in Sweden
2023 100 most influential people/org in Architecture and Design in Sweden by arkitektur, design, inredning byRum
2023 Jane Jacobs Lecture Award by Center of The Living City
2022 Clarence Morberg Award 2022 by Samhällsbyggarna
2022 Arab Architecture Week Honor by ArchiNet
2022 Sustainability Changemaker Award under 35 by PMI Sweden
2021 (Ung och Tung) Young and Successful Award Betonggalan
2021 AFRY Team Player Award (Finalist)
2021 Johan Silfwerbrand Award Betonggalan
2021 the ENABLER of the Year Award by the Swedish Architects Association/Sveriges Arkitekter
2020 Södertälje Hackathon Best Pitch about Smart Cities.
2018 UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agent. Goal 11.
2017 Swedish News Agency (Nyhetsbyrå).
2016 Best Bachelor thesis project Award in Civil Engineering & Architecture.
2013 Winner of the Technical Association Award for the best high school thesis.

Languages

English
Swedish
Arabic

What do the experts say about Mustafa Sherif?

From the heart of Mesopotamia to the heart of Scandinavia

(A short story about Mustafa)

Mustafa was born in the heart of Mesopotamia, Baghdad, Iraq, in 1993. He is the second child in a family of six. His passion for cities and people began at a young age in Baghdad.

Growing up, Mustafa developed a close and deep connection with the street, public spaces, and the people of Baghdad. For example, he was hit by cars several times, met friends outdoors, sat on the large stairs of building entrances, attended weddings and funerals in the streets, and saw streets closed for community events. Mustafa always wanted to preserve and enrich this relationship with the city. Urban planning became his dream, as he wanted to create cities for people and improve the quality of their everyday lives.

Mustafa experienced difficult times with his family in Baghdad, especially due to the many terrorist attacks and an invisible civil war in Iraq. Tragically, he lost all his best friends in different terror attacks, which deeply affected him and made him value every person he met in his life.

His father moved to Sweden, and Mustafa followed him along with the rest of the family. They settled in Helsingborg, a city in the south of Sweden, which took a significant place in Mustafa’s heart and played an essential role in shaping his mindset as a young teenager.

Mustafa’s formal journey into “urban planning for people” started in 2013 when he studied architecture in high school in Helsingborg. He later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering and Architecture from LTH Lund University. His next step was a Master’s program in Sustainable Urban Planning and Design at The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. He also participated in a seven-month exchange program at Politecnico di Milano in Italy, where he studied architecture and urban planning.

In Milan, Mustafa expanded his knowledge and skills in architecture, urban planning, and design. During his free time, he traveled around Italy and Europe, exploring cities from a cultural, urban planning, and design perspective.

Currently, Mustafa works as an urban planner in Stockholm at AFRY Urban Planning and Design studio, focusing on the social aspects of urban development, such as engaging with people, listening to their stories, and co-creating values in cities. He builds long-term relationships with a wide range of clients. His projects often involve dialogues with people, placemaking, master planning, and developing strategies to transform “cities for cars” into “cities for people.”

Mustafa enjoys seeing people active, happy, and inspired, which is why he participates in many activities outside of work. For example, he has been part of TEDxTalk Stockholm as a speaker, co-coach, and content researcher.

In November 2019, Mustafa launched the Urbanistica Podcast to inspire people about creating smarter, more livable cities for everyone. The podcast has listeners from 140 countries and features over 500 episodes and more than 600 guests from around the world.