James C. (Jim) O’Connell teaches in the City Planning-Urban Affairs Program at Boston University. He teaches courses on “Global Cities: Through Boston’s Experience” and “The Planning & Development of Metropolitan Boston.” Drawing upon personal planning experience and his writing, Jim gives “urbanist” walking tours of Greater Boston, focusing on recent development projects while placing them in an historical context. His itineraries include Boston’s Seaport District, North Station-West End, Historic Downtown and North End, Ink Block-South End, Kendal Square, and Fenway-Longwood. He has worked as a guide for Context Travel, Newton Community Education, and Brookline Adult & Community Education.

He has a B.A. from Bates College and a Ph.D. in American Urban and Cultural History from the University of Chicago.

Jim O’Connell has worked as a Planner at the Boston Office of the Northeast Region of the National Park Service, where he specialized in planning historic sites and heritage areas. Before joining the National Park Service, Jim served as Economic Development Officer of the Cape Cod Commission, the regional planning and land use regulatory agency for Cape Cod. Jim also worked on urban redevelopment issues in Springfield, MA, as Deputy Executive Director, Springfield Redevelopment Authority; Deputy Commissioner of Community Development for Neighborhoods; Associate Director, Springfield Central Inc. (private nonprofit downtown revitalization organization); and Executive Director, Hampden County Energy Office.

Jim has written many articles and seven books on planning and New England history. His book on Boston and the Making of a Global City is being published in summer, 2025. Previous books include Dining Out in Boston: A Culinary History (2016), The Hub’s Metropolis: Greater Boston’s Suburban Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth (2013), Becoming Cape Cod: Creating a Seaside Resort (2003), The Pioneer Valley Reader (1995), Shaping an Urban Image: Downtown Planning in Springfield, Massachusetts (1990), and The Inside Guide to Springfield and the Pioneer Valley (1986). He has written essays on regional planning and civic leadership for two editions of Governing Greater Boston (2002, 2003), an annual public policy review published by the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Jim has also taught in the Sustainable Design Program at the Boston Architectural College and Regional Planning at UMass-Amherst. Jim is a fellow of the American Institute for Certified Planners (FAICP) and is a LEED Green Associate. He is involved is smart growth and regional planning issues in Massachusetts. He has served as chair of the Massachusetts Land Use Reform Working Group and currently serves on the Newton Planning & Development Board.