I am an Urbanist & public administrator.
My practice centers personal agency and cultural preservation.

Carmen Mays, MPA is an urbanist and public administrator that believes in the balance of thought leadership and implementation. She affirms that all people have value, and each place holds invaluable stories.

Carmen employs a place-based approach that facilitates agency and self-determination to develop blueprints that industry leaders successfully leverage. She has over a decade of public sector experience, with a significant portion of her career spent in community economic development at various local governments. Carmen served as the Neighborhood Revitalization and Public Safety Administrator for the mayoral transition team in the City of Birmingham. There, she led a team of 70+ community volunteers through the policy development process, culminating with a report that details the community's policy directives. Carmen also re-launched the Minority Business Development program for the City of Spartanburg in South Carolina, earning Federal Transit Administration approval for the City’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. Additionally, she has led courses on Anti-Racism in Local Government and provided thought leadership on Equity Centered Policy and Programming.

Carmen currently serves her hometown as the Chief of Staff to the Honorable Brian O. Gunn, Birmingham City Council District 4. She is also a sought-after speaker and consultant.

Carmen is a leader in both the global Placemaking movement and the development of creative economies. As an urbanist and placemaker, Carmen is a leader with PlacemakingUS and has shared her expertise as a speaker at Placemaking Week Flint, Placemaking Week Europe, and Well Being Cities, among others. As a founding member of the Black Innovation Alliance and former Grow With Google Digital Coach, Carmen has been at the forefront of programmatic and policy development for creative entrepreneurs.

Carmen enjoys the arts, the outdoors, and travel in her private life. While she has received many awards and recognitions, Carmen's most prized accolade is "Bestest Auntie in the World."

  • My facilitation style centers and empowers the residents' desires for their community.

  • My practice allows community members to define themselves by their own standards.

  • My place-based approach honors the story, people, and culture that makes each community unique.

Carmen’s Core Principles

  • I am an internationally renowned urbanist specializing in placemaking and policy. As a leader with PlacemakingUS, my distinctive equity-focused and culture-forward lens has led to keynote invitations to Placemaking Week in Flint, Michigan, and Placemaking Week Europe in Pontevedra, Spain.

  • I bridge urbanist jargon and lived experience, translating complex concepts into culturally resonant language that taps residents’ own expertise. The result is true co‑design: communities equipped to steward places that serve them.

  • By supporting and showcasing creatives, the ongoing programming that I’ve created has led to collaborations and features with significant partners, including Starbucks.

Carmen’s Expertise

Features and Interviews