Building Optimism, An Excerpt

An exploration into why our world looks the way it does, and how to make it better. In book form!

This is an excerpt from the first chapter of my book, Building Optimism. Building Optimism is the culmination of several years of research into the state of the North American built environment. My aim in writing it was to demystify how the process of city building works, and provide an inspirational guide for a better tomorrow.

Through an exploration of how we arrived at where we are today, a series of concrete reforms, and examples of recently completed projects, I hope Building Optimism can call on the imaginations of builders, architects, developers, planners, city officials, and everyday people interested in making their neighborhoods just a little bit better. That not only is such a pursuit possible, but that it is exactly what our world needs today. Our best efforts are not behind us. All it takes is a little bit of Optimism to get started, and an honest confrontation of the status quo to drive towards the outcomes so many are clamoring for.

If you’re interested in reading more or supporting my work, I would be most grateful if you bought a copy from Amazon (and local booksellers, one hopes soon), and left a review on Goodreads or Amazon. Now that this book, it’s 150,000+ words, and interminable edits are complete, I will be writing far more regularly, and hope you will join me on this journey.