Philip Yang

Philip Yang (born October 3, 1962) is a Brazilian urban activist and entrepreneur recognized for his contributions to urban development through his organization URBEM (Institute of Urbanism and Studies for the Metropolis). He was a career diplomat in the Brazilian foreign service between 1992 and 2002 and is a regular columnist for the newspapers Folha de São Paulo, Valor Econômico, O Estado de S....

Philip Yang (born October 3, 1962) is a Brazilian urban activist and entrepreneur recognized for his contributions to urban development through his organization URBEM (Institute of Urbanism and Studies for the Metropolis). He was a career diplomat in the Brazilian foreign service between 1992 and 2002 and is a regular columnist for the newspapers Folha de São Paulo, Valor Econômico, O Estado de S. Paulo and Nexo, on topics associated with urban planning and foreign policy. Early life and education Philip Yang was born in São Paulo to a family of Chinese descent. He studied at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo. After a year in engineering, Yang dropped out to focus on his musical studies, ultimately earning a degree from the School of Music at the University of São Paulo in 1985 and later studying composition at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, graduating in 1988. Upon returning to Brazil, Yang pursued studies at Brazil's diplomatic academy, the Rio Branco Institute, and at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1994. He earned a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2001. Career Between 1992 and 2002, Yang served as a diplomat in Brazil's Foreign Service, holding mission assignments in Beijing, and Washington, D.C. Private sector and founding of URBEM After leaving public service in 2002, Yang shifted to the energy sector and cofounded Petra Energia S.A, a gas exploration company. In 2011, he founded URBEM, the Institute of Urbanism and Studies for the Metropolis, a “do-tank” that seeks to promote projects with an urban impact in the metropolis of São Paulo and other cities. According to its official website, URBEM's purpose is to structure projects that can provide public authorities, the private sector and civil society with proposals that generate a fairer, more functional urban fabric. Among its proposals and initiatives are Casa Paulista, which aims to construct 20,000 housing units in São Paulo's central areas and the Arco Tietê Project, designed to transform underutilized areas along the Tietê River into public spaces with improved transportation and housing options. Urban activism Since the foundation of URBEM, Yang has become a reference for the Brazilian urban thought, having participated in debates and interviews on wide-reaching platforms, and been cited by media outlets in Brazil and abroad for his work focused on the convergence of government, market and societal forces. Yang's approach to urbanism is based on the belief that cities should foster diversity and inclusion. He is a proponent of repurposing São Paulo's downtown areas to reverse the exodus of residents. Through his writings and public speaking, Yang advocates for urban designs that prioritize people over cars, such as widening sidewalks and creating more public spaces. In 2025, Yang was appointed COP30 Special Envoy for Urban Solutions and named member of the Council for Sustainable Economic and Social Development of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, as established by Presidential Decree published in the Official Gazette of the Union (Diário Oficial da União) on August 2, 2025. References