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