Hi. I am Aaron. Urbanist since 1978.

I am a designer and builder.

For more than two decades, I have operated at the margins of urban development, seeking to further the fields of green building, historic preservation, and affordable housing.

I taught Green Building and Building Science for five years at Duke University’s Nicholas School for the Environment.

I have served on the National Townbuilder’s Association board and as senior faculty with the Incremental Development Alliance.

I hosted The Townbuilder’s Podcast. My first five guests were responsible for more than $1 billion of some of the best urban development on the planet.

I founded Southern Urbanism, a region-wide think-tank committed to building better cities in the South. I write the “Jacobs Column” honoring the work of Jane Jacobs.

My work has always focused on the smallest increments. That’s where life happens. That’s where things work, or don’t work. I subscribe to bottom-up, grassroots value sets. I think most big things - corporate and government - are inorganic and unacceptably risky.

I post mostly about housing here, but at times, I will delve into issues about urbanism, placemaking, and politics. Feel free to reach out with your thoughts.

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