James Brackenhoff is the co-founder and creative partner of First Forty Feet. James believes that urban design is the art and science of shaping cities to better accommodate the way people want to live their lives, now and in the future. By actively engaging with the communities he serves, James excels at synthesizing people's concerns and aspirations into a precisely articulated shared vision which inspires collective action. James believes that as designers, while we do not have political or economic power, we do have the power of transformative ideas that can shape our cities into places we love.

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James’ professional experience spans 20 years as an architect and urban designer. James spent his first two years with Urban Design Associates in Pittsburgh where he worked on projects throughout North America and Latin America. While there, James developed the Daybreak Pattern Book. Daybreak received national acclaim for its sustainable environmental design strategies and is recognized as one of the best-selling communities in the country.

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James brings an international perspective to the firm. His breadth of work includes his tenure as the Architectural and Urban Design Advisor for the Prince of Wales’ Foundation for the Built Environment in London. James led on the design of Coed Darcy, the £1.2 billion planned 1,300 acre brownfield community development in south Wales. It is currently in Phase 3 of construction. James also worked as a lead designer at Patzschke Architects in Berlin, Germany, for two years.

Returning to the United States, James worked as a lead designer at Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York City before returning to his Pacific Northwest roots. In the last several years, he has led masterplanning and architectural designs for high-profile Silicon Valley tech firms along with a large portfolio of buildings and new communities across the West Coast. James now applies his broad range of national and international experience to all his projects.