with a friend and colleague, Sam Day. Sam is an architect, urbanist, and infill developer based in Oklahoma City--a rare combination of someone designing buildings (architect), creating spaces with those buildings (urbanist), and actually facilitating them coming out of the ground, including buying land, figuring out financing, leasing up, etc

(development).

Sam is also very philosophical, and it's easy for us to talk for hours

and debate ideas. He is both an ideas guy and an executor, which is

another rare combo that leads to unique perspectives and conversation.

First we explore Sam's career trajectory, his first infill project of a

quad/4plex self financed with an FHA loan that he used as his primary residence (the development hack for those who don't have a ton of cash--a la R John Anderson and the Incremental Development Alliance).

We dive into the concept of missing middle housing, explore the various challenges small developers face in this sector, discuss creating vibrant community centers, the pros and cons of a land value tax, as well as what we mean by human scale and the magic of 3 and 4 story buildings (NOT 20+almost stories).

In part 2 we broach ideas like the difficulties in controlling land and

the financialization of real estate, and the potential transformation of suburbia through e-bikes and distributed shopping centers, envisioning a more connected and accessible community.

TAKEAWAYS

- Transitioning from architecture to development requires a diverse

skill set, including financial modeling and understanding zoning

regulations.

- Small developers, such as architects and tradespeople, are

well-positioned to address the missing middle housing gap.

- Implementing a land value tax can incentivize landowners to develop their properties more efficiently and discourage land speculation.

- Retrofitting suburbia requires careful planning and consideration of existing neighborhoods and infrastructure.

RESOURCES

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-day

https://www.instagram.com/_sam_day/

https://www.wheelerdistrict.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction and Career Path

03:04 Becoming a Developer

08:05 The Concept of Missing Middle

17:06 Land Value Tax

25:01 Retrofitting Suburbia

36:26 Concerns about Land Value Tax

43:15 The Need for Solutions

47:12 The Future of Suburbia

48:40 Retrofitting Suburbia

50:17 Transfer of Development Rights

51:44 The Rule of 10,000

53:10 The Magic of Three-Story Buildings

54:43 Creating Centers in Suburbia

CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTURE

Website: https://www.buildingculture.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/buildingculture/

X: https://twitter.com/build_culture

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@buildingculture

CONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELL

Instagram: https://instagram.com/austintunnell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-tunnell-2a41894a/

X: https://twitter.com/AustinTunnell

Join the Movement to Build a Better World: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/subscribe