About me
Kelly Hickler, AICP is a creative city planner and community engagement strategist with two decades of experience working across the U.S. Through her firm, Cinnovation Studio, she helps agencies move beyond transactional, check-the-box engagement toward more intentional, relationship-based participation.
Now based in Germany, Kelly grew up near Los Angeles and developed an early connection to place through exploring the region with her family. A singer-songwriter and curious world explorer, her work bridges planning practice and creative disciplines. Music, poetry, and photography inform how she observes, interprets, and communicates place.
Kelly leads online and in-person workshops globally that integrate professional planning practice with lived experience. Her work centers sensory, place-based storytelling; playful, exploratory engagement; and creative approaches to civic education and capacity building.
