ī-ˈdē-əa
formulated thought or opinion | Merriam websters dictionary
Sharing ideas. Gained through four decades asking ‘why?’ To help audiences think differently or create a community call-to-action. Get my ideas three ways:
Speak. Keynote or in-house training? Inspired stories and real solutions. Spark a conversations to develop different.
Teach. Mixed-use development; sustainable community design; and the alternative of small scale, incremental development.
Write. Provocative articles, white papers and now Building Small. In-depth ideas and the research behind them. Available below.
“It’s no surprise that a book on small-scale development has come from one of real estate’s big thinkers.“
—Ed McMahon | Senior Fellow for Sustainable Development
SPEAKING & TEACHING
My presentations combine a conversational and accessible style with a clear framework and specific examples. Using either the UrbanGreen platform for sustainable and resilient real estate education, or CRAFT Development for small scale incremental development tools and techniques. I strive to ensure my audience leaves informed and excited about making positive change in the built environment.
Upcoming Events
MARCH, 2022
5 | TEDx Sonoma County
21 | Building Small | NC State, Raleigh
APRIL
18 | ULI Spring Meeting | San Diego, CA
5 | A Small Case Study | U of Miami MRED+U
21 | Building Small | NC State, Raleigh, NC
MAY
5 | A Small Conversation | Changing Hands Bookstore, Phoenix
6 | Why Small Matters | ULI Phoenix
6 | Book Talk + Signing | For the People, Phoenix
22-24 | Building Small Forum | San Antonio
Select Past Events
Guest Lecturer | UC Berkeley MRED+ Design
Keynote | ULI San Antonio Leadership Luncheon
Guest Lecturer | U of Miami MRED + Urbanism
Small Scale Developer Forum #16, Healdsburg CA
Guest Lecturer | Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Emerging Developers Fireside Chat | Richmond, CA
TEDx Sonoma talk on making Small Big!
March 2022 | Jim reminds us of what is truly important and the joy we get from the small things in life | VIEW
GETTING THE HOUSING WE WANT
September 2020 | A community primer on what makes us the term ‘housing’ and its costs | VIEW
“…one of my top book recommendations for anyone who has approached me with interest in development. I’m beyond thrilled for the success of this book. “
—Sam Day | Samuel Day Architects
WRITING
Articles, white papers and now Building Small, provide the written form for sharing or exploring ideas in more depth.
Building Small
2021 | The seminal book that defines the what, why and how of small scale, incremental development. | MORE ABOUT BUILDING SMALL
Seeing Small
2018 | Contribution to Main Street America’s annual report, sharing lessons learned from over 14 cities. | READ
RESILIENCE ALONG THE RURAL TO URBAN TRANSECT
2015 | White paper for ULI exploring how resilience changes by community size and location | READ
Evolution of the Planned Community
2011 | Thought paper that looks at how Planned Communities are likely to change in the next decade. | READ
Reinventing Real Estate
2010 | A look at the opportunity for more responsible real estate investing coming out of the 2008 downturn | READ
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities
2007 | Contributions to book that served as an early roadmap for incorporating sustainability into the community development process | PURCHASE
Greenfield Development Without Sprawl
2004 | White paper that tackled the question ‘can planned communities be built without adding to sprawl? | READ
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN RESORT COMMUNITIES
1995| A look at creating more affordable housing in expensive resort communities as a way to ensure long term viability of the local economy | READ
“My Strengths Finder™ profile says I am fascinated by ideas and enjoy digging through complexity to connect seemingly disparate things in elegantly simple ways. This is reflected in my writings and presentations as I try to show different approaches to solving thorny issues in an enlightening and educational manner.”
ULI Advisory Services Panel Chair 2011
Moscow, Russia