Here’s a quick story.  At an early age, while traveling with my family to the area’s biggest mall, I once looked out the window of the car and I saw a horse farm.  The next time our family went out to the mall, a brand new subdivision was in the place where the horse farm once existed.  I clearly wondered out loud to my family why is the horse farm gone, and who can afford to live in these huge homes that are in its place?  Thus began my inquiry into all things urban.

Belle Isle Bike Ride, Detroit, Michigan

Clintondale Community Schools gave me my educational foundation.  I have since earned a Master of urban planning degree at Wayne State University and am finding my way through the urban landscape, both as an interest and now as a profession.

My passions within urban planning involve elements of design and community development.  I hope to shed light on both subjects, but will definitely not be limited to these topics.

Design captivates me because of its implications for our safety as much as making walkable, cool, distinct cities.  The functionality of an urban setting is tied to its looks.  Good design will provide safe places for kids to play just as much as the place offers aesthetic appeal.

For me, community matters because I am impassioned by knowing that people matter, each and everyone.  I am deeply grateful for influential figures like John Perkins, Shane Claiborne, Eleanor Josaitis and countless others who have taken up the cause of assisting the less fortunate in society by entering into the city and committing their lives to others.

You can listen to further thoughts of mine, discussing issues of faith at my blog waytruelife.

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