Practice Focus: Urban redevelopment, infill, mixed-use, and transit-oriented development; urban design, sustainability, life-cycle costing, smart cities.
James has over 30 years of technical and managerial experience and leadership in architecture, community planning, redevelopment consulting and urban design. With Jacobs, he is helping lead and expand the company’s cities practice worldwide, focusing on a broad range of topics: urban strategy; resilience; integrated urban sustainability; 'smart' cities; placemaking; transit-oriented development (TOD); urban regeneration. James has a deep understanding of cities as complex “systems of systems” in which all component elements are integral to planning, design, development and operations. He promotes a comprehensive process, balancing the physical development of the built and natural environment with sustainable economic growth and continual socio-cultural advancement. He has particular expertise in organizing and managing complex urban redevelopment projects, including those focusing on urban revitalization and walkable, bike-friendly, transit-oriented mixed-use environments. From 2000–2014, James was a Senior Vice President with HDR where he built and led the company’s planning and urban design practice. From 1988-2000, he taught in the School of Architecture & Community Design at the University of South Florida, leaving as a tenured Associate Professor; his courses focused on cities, urban design, planning, real estate and urban redevelopment. From 1999-2000, he served as the Interim Dean of the School, and for five years, he directed the Florida Center for Community Design & Research, providing technical support to State of Florida agencies, local communities and non-profit organizations.