James MacDonald-Nelson is the Cities Programme Lead at DemocracyNext. James is a designer with degrees in landscape architecture, urbanism, and global development studies. Having studied and worked in spatial practice for 10 years in Canada and Europe, James has a deep knowledge of how the built environment is transformed and managed - and how often citizens are left out of these processes. At DemocracyNext, James is responsible for all things cities-related. This includes managing collaborations with cities around the world who have partnered with DemNext to broaden and deepen citizen participation and deliberation in urban planning decision-making processes - with Citizens’ Assemblies playing a central role. Alongside DemNext fellow, Gustav Kjær Vad Nielsen, James also leads the area of research and speculative design for the physical conditions and infrastructure needed for a more deliberative democracy.

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