Ren (Karen) Steen

Ren Steen oversees SPUR’s communications, messaging and publications. A journalist specializing in architecture and urban planning, Ren has written for Metropolis, ReadyMade, I.D., Time Out New York and the New York Times. Her book Crystal Cove Cottages, a profile of a historic community in Southern California, was a Los Angeles Times bestseller. Ren has been an editor at CBS Interactive, Metropolis magazine, Pulitzer-winning newspaper Willamette Week and literary magazine Swink. She has taught writing at Pratt Institute and the New School University, and performed her written work at venues such as The Moth urban storytelling series.