What I’ve been up to…

In May I spoke at the Congress for the New Urbanism. I presented a project I’ve been working on for many years, which is now beginning to reach a stable point where it makes sense to open it up to the outside world. This project is called Net Attraction Framework, and it’s my attempt to describe some of the patterns that I’ve observed between the design of the built environment and the value of property.

For the past month I’ve been hard at work digitizing my material, and it’s now available online at http://naf.eighty-b.com.

This effort has taken up a ton of time, which has really constrained my involvement in neoHOUSTON.  However, I think it was worth the effort, as this project is really one of the biggest things that I’ve ever worked on, and I think has the potential to be really helpful for developers, designers, and public officials going forward.

The concept still has plenty of room to grow, and you’re all more than welcome to pour through the documentation, ask questions, and share your thoughts. I hope that you enjoy it!

There’s also a lot of work going on behind the scenes here at neoHOUSTON. We’re working on moving from one server to another, which is going to allow us to do things we’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

We’re also working closely with local organizations like CNU-Houston (where I serve as President), USGBC Emerging Professionals, CTC Houston, and Transition Houston to pool together some of our online resources. Our goal is to make it easier for Houstonians concerned about the future of our urban environment to work together on making this city an even better place to live.

There’s a lot of work left to be done, and until we get further along in the process you’re likely to see more posts from Dean and Martin than from me. I think, though, that the direction we’re heading is a very exciting one, and one that could make a positive difference in the future of our City.

So, for all of those who have been wondering where I’ve been the last few months, I hope this gives you some idea. Stay tuned, the best of neoHOUSTON is yet to come!