Valerie Friedmann

Valerie Friedmann, AICP, is an urban planner who specializes in the relationship between policy, parks, and greenspace. She is the Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs for the 10-Minute Walk® program at Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit dedicated to creating parks and protecting land for communities. In this role, she collaborates with local governments and community organizations to shape practices that bring high-quality parks within reach of every resident. Drawing on more than a decade of experience in urban design, teaching, research, and local policy reform, Valerie works to embed equity into how land is used, how decisions are made, and who has access to nature and public space.

Before joining TPL, she served as Senior Long-Range Planner for the City of Lexington, Kentucky, and taught landscape architecture as an Assistant Professor at Auburn University. She holds a Master of Landscape Architecture and a BS in Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee.