Jim Brainard, Urban Design and Civic Planning 

Jim Brainard was Carmel, Indiana's first seven-term mayor and one of the longest serving mayors in the United States. Under his tenure, Carmel’s population grew from 25,000 residents, to more than 105,000. Brainard is frequently asked to speak on city planning, climate change, redevelopment and transportation networks. A city that consisted mainly of suburban sprawl, Carmel transformed under the Mayor’s leadership into a vibrant, walkable and sustainable city. Brainard combined smart land-use planning, pioneered the use of financial modeling to impact zoning decisions and secured public-private partnerships to redevelop under-utilized land and create a city that is often listed as one of the best places to live, work and play in America.

Mayor Brainard had been a champion for the construction of roundabouts to replace traditional signalized intersections and four-way stops in Carmel, which has resulted in a more efficient transportation network, reduced vehicle emissions and  emhanced safety. Notably, with its network of more than 155 roundabouts, Carmel’s fatality percentage rate is one of the lowest in the country. Accidents with injury were reduced by almost 80 percent at intersections that were once controlled by traffic lights and stop signs. Carmel has more roundabouts than any city in America.

Mayor Brainard was one of only four republicans appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on his 2013 State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. He also served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Local Government Advisory Committee and as a Trustee for the U. S. Conference of Mayors.

Brainard currently chairs the Seaside Institute Board of Governors, serves as Vice-President of the Board of Governors of the Suzanne C. and Henry L. Lennard Institute for Livable Cities and is a member of the Board of the Rails-to Trails Conservancy. In 2024 Brainard was appointed Senior Resarcher Associate in the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame.

On February 11, 2025 Brainard received the Courtoise Prize for Urban Renaissance - Awarded to a "foreign mayor for his bold vision and exemplary commitment to the urban development of his city" in Paris, France. He received the Planning Advocate Award, Indiana Chapter of the American Plannning Association on February 22, 2024. 

Mayor Brainard earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from Butler University and Doctor of Jurisprudence from Ohio Northern University. He also received a diploma from the Oxford Institute on International and Comparative Law from the University of San Diego.