James Russell, the newly-appointed director of Design Strategic Initiatives at the NYC Department of Design and Construction, will speak about the agency’s recently released Guiding Principles for Design Excellence; upcoming initiatives in environmental sustainability, resiliency, equity, and healthy living; and the potential impact for interior spaces. Russell was the architecture critic for Bloomberg News, editor at Architectural Record, and has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. He is the author of The Agile City: Building Well-Being and Wealth in an Era of Climate Change.