By Brian, on September 6th, 2011 Sustainability is a Puzzle of 1000 Pieces. As we rearrange the pieces to design a Sustainable Urban Village (SUV), Green Fire Times asked the paradigm shifting questions… “What would make a SUV such a great place, you’d move in?! What are the best practices emerging in your field, and how can we rearrange these puzzle pieces for maximum affordability and beauty?” …
Design Your Dream
By Brian, on May 9th, 2012 What is the Most Important to you when designing your dream of a Sustainable neighborhood ? What are the great things you wish were happening within a convenient walk? What floor plan arrangements and shared amenities would fit your needs? Maybe a deeply affordability lifestyle with a place to play music on a Friday …
Small is Beautiful-Life at the Crossroads
By Brian, on April 11th, 2013 The times call for a comprehensive overhaul of our suburban lifestyle and you’re invited to join with fellow innovators, designers, architects, engineers, and enthusiasts to brainstorm efficient, elegant, and ingenious possibilities for well-lived, sustainable futures! If you are looking to live in a sustainable neighborhood, you too are invited to the next session April 27-28 …
Designing Your Well-Lived Future
By Brian, on June 3rd, 2012 Ready for Something Other Than Suburbia? “I’m tired of living alone.” “We just would like to live together and share a house. We’re not lovers; we need two master suites. “I’m fine by myself with breakfast and lunch. At 4:30 though, I need community.” These are a few of the comments of exasperation from …
What do Two Young Professionals, a Wine Bar, a Twelve-step Program, and a Day Care Center Have in Common?
By Brian, on May 9th, 2012 The answer to the above riddle is… a well-designed house with a flexible floor plan that meets the needs of the current and future residents. Change, flexibility, affordability, and convenience together spell a thriving, resilient, and sustainable future! The job before us is nothing short of a reinvention of the America Dream. Here’s some ideas to …
St Michael Drive the New Creative and Cultural Corridor? by Kris Swedin
By Brian, on September 6th, 2011 Could this new creative and cultural corridor become a vibrant neighborhood and not just a place to drive through after picking up groceries? Kris Swedin calls for participation in the discussions and the sharing of your ideas… “What? The center of the city is St. Mikes?” Imagine a vibrant and innovative community stretching along St. …
St Mike’s below, Train above by Lloyd & Associates Architects
By Brian, on September 6th, 2011 Lloyd & Associates proposed a large, circular shaped park surrounding a train station, with the mainline of St Michael’s running underneath the train station. ”Frontage side streets” would serve local traffic while thru traffic traveled the length of St. Mike’s… Lloyd & Associates Architects took a bold approach to a future St. Michael’s Boulevard …
Share Your Favorite Best Practices and Possibilities for Sustainable Futures!
By Brian, on May 8th, 2012 Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico were at the epicenter of solar design in the 70′s and 80′s. I believe we can be on the cutting edge once again and lead the emerging sustainable economy. By bringing together our pioneering genius and deep caring, along with emerging technologies, we can collaborative integrate systems and innovations …
The Green Fire Times May 2012 The Center for Innovation and Sustainability
By Brian, on May 6th, 2012 Last September I got to be the guest associate editor of Green Fire Times. The entire issue was dedicated to envisioning the creation of “Sustainable Urban Villages” in our area – vibrant, alive, quality-filled, deeply affordable, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods that live lightly on the planet. The challenge remains: How do we actually create sustainable …
A Network of Key Influencers
By Brian, on May 8th, 2012 How do we go about creating the Paradigm shift; innovating and collaborating to bring sustainable neighborhoods to the market? A friend told me of the “Network of Key Influencers” process practiced by Susan Davis since the 1970s and it sounded like just the ticket! Susan begins by gathering peer recommendations so the Network will …