Publisher’s note: The measure of all things
“Man is the measure of all things,” wrote Greek philosopher Protagoras two and a half millennial ago. While a simple notion, it’s important to remind ourselves that the gauges we use to measure are...
Publisher’s note: The mystery of beauty
A neighbor forwarded me a video titled “Germany from Above.” To the built environment enthusiast, the video delivered a steady stream of breathtaking architecture and craftsmanship through time... with a stark and somber visual...
The price of disorder
I was once pitched a deal in the heart of the Amazon—Manaus, Brazil. What was I buying? Firstly, a commercial asset. But I couldn’t shake my concern around governance. The sanctity of a contract...
A human being is a deciding being
Like those before me and, perhaps, those beyond my view, I want the whole field advantage. It's a view that assures the tension of new and the vigor of limitless context. But mostly, it...
Trailblazer: Laurie Lustig-Bower
Laurie Lustig-Bower is a driven woman. As a teenager, she submitted 57,000 entry forms to win a horse at a national competition. It took a year to create the submissions, tireless hours working with...
Prescience: knowledge of things before they happen
A 2014 historical study suggests that not since the Civil War have we been so polarized as a nation. Climate change, immigration, Fair Housing law. The issues are many, and both the emotions, and...
Unintended consequences
The fact is, President Obama has caused us to care.
Gallup recently reported that Americans are paying closer attention to political news than during any non-election year since the company began tracking the issue in...
The seeing issue
I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free, said Michelangelo. Innovation, invention, creation. It’s the ability to see things that others do not and set the ideas, process,...
Make your own luck
Rumors of America’s death have been greatly exaggerated. The proverbial lucky fool—these United States of America—has proven itself replete with those things that truly matter—an innovative, hard-working citizenry, a self-correcting Constitution and a land...
That which defines us
I can, in no way, trivialize what's happening in the financial markets or certain segments of our economy, but it is all relative. And while "It's all relative" does not make as good a...
The calculus of consent
Enjoying the fruits of the world’s economic powerhouse make it hard to dismiss the attributes that set the U.S. on top. It also makes it a challenge to ignore those things that so clearly...
The heart of a multifamily housing professional
And the winner is
I love that line. It’s that time of year when we recognize the best in class within our great industry. NAHB’s coveted Pillars of the Industry winners are in and, man,...
An inside job
Only by contact with evil could I have learned to feel by contrast the beauty of truth and love and goodness. —Helen Keller
There’s a lot of unhappiness out there. Certainly there are legitimate reasons...
Tech Tonic
Twenty years ago, the multihousing scene was a very different place. I say this because I know.
Newspaper ads and rental guides. Occupancy rates and Excel sheets. Doing your homework and pulling the last possible...
Data to dollars: a story of the relentless American business
Storytelling may, indeed, be the secret to life. I come from a long line of storytellers. Hailing from a large Catholic family, you either perfected the craft and rose to the top of the...
