About
Hi! I’m a creative director and urban designer with a passion for uncovering the hidden qualities of places and creating spaces of inclusion and imagination. With a master’s in city planning from MIT and a background in cinematography, I bring expertise in narrative strategy and experience design to place-based projects of all scales, helping communities shape the built environment to reflect their stories and deepen connections between people and place.
The output of my work spans design strategy frameworks and resiliency masterplans to cinematic place visions and platforms for collective imagination.
I currently serve as an urban designer at NYC’s Department of City Planning, where I’m leading design for a citywide study to expand waterfront public access. Previously, I was at global design firm Arup, leading design teams and narrative strategy on several resiliency and sustainable transportation plans throughout North America. I’ve co-founded two collaborative studios--one at Arup that provided visual storytelling and placemaking services on client projects, and another in Los Angeles called Invisible Cities Studio. At Invisible Cities, I worked with municipalities like Las Vegas and organizations like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences use immersive storytelling to shape public perception and strengthen the social impact of their projects.
My work has won several awards, including an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. I currently serve as a fellow at the Urban Design Forum and on the board of Co-Solve Collective, a nonprofit creating dignified housing solutions for migrant workers in Ahmedabad, India.
If you want to work together or just say hi, feel free to reach out!
I currently serve as an urban designer at NYC’s Department of City Planning, where I’m leading design for a citywide study to expand waterfront public access. Previously, I was at global design firm Arup, leading design teams and narrative strategy on several resiliency and sustainable transportation plans throughout North America. I’ve co-founded two collaborative studios--one at Arup that provided visual storytelling and placemaking services on client projects, and another in Los Angeles called Invisible Cities Studio. At Invisible Cities, I worked with municipalities like Las Vegas and organizations like the American Academy of Arts and Sciences use immersive storytelling to shape public perception and strengthen the social impact of their projects.
My work has won several awards, including an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. I currently serve as a fellow at the Urban Design Forum and on the board of Co-Solve Collective, a nonprofit creating dignified housing solutions for migrant workers in Ahmedabad, India.
If you want to work together or just say hi, feel free to reach out!
john.s.moody@gmail.com
Expertise
Research
archival research
community engagement
ethnographic studies
existing conditions
interviews
opportunities & constraints
site documentation
spatial (GIS) analysis
user surveys
community engagement
ethnographic studies
existing conditions
interviews
opportunities & constraints
site documentation
spatial (GIS) analysis
user surveys
client intelligence
content strategy
contract negotiation
cost estimating
impact strategy
pitch decks
place branding
proposal & grant writing
teaming
workshop facilitation
concept development
creative direction
graphic design
persona development
scripting
sketching
storyboarding
style guides & mood boards
user journeys
animation
cinematography
copywriting
design visualization
document layout
photography
report writing
video production
Experience
- Creative Director, Urban Designer, Moody Studio • 2024 -Senior Designer & Creative Director, Arup • 2022 - 2024
- Co-Founder & Creative Director, Invisible Cities Studio • 2016 - 2021
- Digital Imaging Technician, International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600 • 2010 - 2021
- Multimedia Designer, MIT • 2014 - 2017
Appointments
- Fellow, Urban Design Forum • 2023 –
- Co-Founder & Board Member, Co-Solve Collective • 2020 –
- Member, Video Consortium • 2020 –
- Steering Committee, Arup Social Value & Equity • 2023 – 2024
- Screening Committee, SFUrban Film Festival • 2021 – 2023
- Design Critic, Harvard Graduate School of Design • 2021
Awards + GrantsFinalist, Istanbul Architecture & Urban Films Fest • 2019
Best Film, Documentary Short Film Festival • 2019
Honor Award, ASLA Professional Awards • 2018
Best Documentary Short, DTLA Film Festival • 2018
Finalist, Architecture & Design Film Festival • 2018
Best Urban Design Film, Better Cities Film Festival • 2017
Bill Mitchell ++ Fund, MIT SA&P • 2015
William Emerson Travel Grant, MIT DUSP • 2015
Best Urban Design Film, Better Cities Film Festival • 2015
Eagle Scout Award, Boy Scouts of America • 2002
EducationMaster in City Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video, Pacific University • 2007
Illustration coursework, Concept Design Academy • 2018 - 2022
Study abroad program, University of Granada, Spain • 2005
Full CV available upon request.