ī-ˈdē-əa
formulated thought or opinion | Merriam websters dictionary
Sharing ideas. Gained through four decades asking ‘why?’ To help audiences think differently or create a community call-to-action. Get my ideas three ways:
Speak. Keynote or in-house training? Inspired stories and real solutions. Spark a conversation about how to ‘develop different’.
Podcast. My Small quest has provided the opportunity to share lessons and ideas with like minds across a range of engaging podcasts.
Write. Provocative articles, white papers and now Building Small. In-depth ideas and the research behind them. Available below.
“It’s no surprise that a book on small-scale development has come from one of real estate’s big thinkers.“
—Ed McMahon | Senior Fellow for Sustainable Development
2025 Small Talks
February
27 | Managing Small Risk: Riverhouse Case Study | U of Miami MRED+U Coral Gables, FL
28 | What and Why of Building Small |U of Miami MRED+U, ULI SEFL Coral Gables, FL
march
20 | Housing Day: Planning and Policy | Gen H [Panelist] Santa Rosa, CA
27-29 | Beyond YIMBY|Center for Economy and Policy [Invited Attendee] Albuquerque, NM
APRIL
2-4 | In The Game|Downtown Colorado, Inc [Keynote and Panels] Greeley, CO
29 | Housing by the Bay|ULI SF [Keynote] San Francisco, CA
MAY
10 | Small Coach|Special program for ULI Denver REDI Cohort, Denver CO
12 | ULI Spring Meeting | REDI Alumni Gathering [Keynote + Panel Moderation} Denver, CO
13 | St. Cloud Hotel Case Study|Downtown Colorado, Inc [Panel] Canon City, CO
29 | All Mixed Up | ULI Houston [Keynote + Panel Moderation], Sugarland, TX
30 | Small Developer Meet Up | ULI Houston [Fireside Chat], Houston, TX
JUNE
3 | Build Maine|State Housing Conference [Keynote], Snohegan, ME
8 | Small Pro | Inaugural day long workshop for experienced Small Scale Developers – SOLD OUT, San Luis Obispo
8-10 | SSDF#23 | Twenty-third program, San Luis Obispo, CA
24 | Statewide Housing Summit |South Dakota Housing Authority [Keynote], Pierre, SD
AUGUST
5-8 | National Brownfields Conference | EPA Brownfields Program [Project Pitch Panelist], Chicago, IL
October
5-7 | SSDF#24 | Twenty Fourth program, Fayetteville, AR
Notable Prior Events
TEDx Sonoma County
Keynotes | ULI Atlanta, Alabama, San Antonio, Triangle, Charlotte, Asheville, Minnesota,Phoenix, Denver;
Downtown Colorado Inc, Loveland CO
Small Scale Developer Forum | Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Savannah, GA; Bend, OR
Perfecting your Pitch | South Florida Emerging Developers Coalition
Local Developer Forum | Opportunity Appalachia [Program Curator, Moderator and Speaker ] Charleston WV
University Lectures + Case Study Studios
MIT Center for Real Estate
NC State University
SMU Cox School of Business
Presidio School of Management
Tulane University
UC Berkeley – MRED+D
University of Miami – MRED+U
University of North Carolina – Charlotte
PODCASTS
The Messy City
August 2024 | Kevin Klinkenberg’s messy city ethos of embracing change, uncertainty and local initiative for our cities and towns aligns perfectly with Small. In this three way conversation with Upzoned’s Abby Newsham we talk about all things Small. | LISTEN
April 2024 |From Blueprint to Bestseller: A Small-Scale Developer’s Journey. Loved this conversation with Matt Loos after my January stop in Fayetteville, AR where I found examples of Small in an unexpected place. | LISTEN
Transforming Cities
June 2023 | Authentic’s Chris Arnold did an engaging job of getting me to talk about Building Small and more importantly my WHY behind my WHAT. | LISTEN
I Found My Tribe
July 2022 | My conversation with crowdfunding innovator Eve Picker as we riff about all things Small | LISTEN
The Impact of Small
January 2022 | My fast paced interview with coworking thought leader Jamie Russo | VIEW
August 2022 |My conversation with Nick Redding about the intersection of Small and preservation | LISTEN
KEYNOTES
TEDx Sonoma talk on making Small Big!
March 2022 | Jim reminds us of what is truly important and the joy we get from the small things in life | VIEW
INDUSTRY Keynote ULI San Antonio
July 2022 | Following publication of Building Small, the what and why of Small and how to get started as a Small Developer | VIEW
ULI Minnesota Housing Conference
July 2021 | Jim shares lessons from Building Small and the connection with Missing Middle Housing. | VIEW
PRESENTATIONS
economics of BUILDING SMALL
March 2020 | Key lessons and value of small incremental development as an economic development tool. | VIEW
GETTING THE HOUSING WE WANT
September 2020 | A community primer on what makes us the term ‘housing’ and its costs | VIEW
RURAL TO URBAN RESILIENCE
August 2015 | Findings to the question ‘does Resilience vary depending on community size and location? | VIEW
SPEAKING & TEACHING
KEYNOTES AND PANELS
My presentations combine a conversational and accessible style with a clear framework and specific examples. Using either the UrbanGreen platform for sustainable and resilient real estate education, or CRAFT Development for small scale incremental development tools and techniques. I strive to ensure my audience leaves informed and excited about making positive change in the built environment.
STUDIO LECTURES AND TEACHING
My real world experience as a developer, combined with years of consulting makes for provocative and inspired studio course lectures, crits and case study exercises. Using my HBS style Case Study, graduate students ʻliveʻ the life of a small developer and have to address the challenges of managing risks associated with Small.
“…one of my top book recommendations for anyone who has approached me with interest in development. I’m beyond thrilled for the success of this book. “
—Sam Day | Samuel Day Architects
WRITING
Articles, white papers and now Building Small, provide the written form for sharing or exploring ideas in more depth.
Building Small
2021 | The seminal book that defines the what, why and how of small scale, incremental development. | MORE ABOUT BUILDING SMALL
Seeing Small
2018 | Contribution to Main Street America’s annual report, sharing lessons learned from over 14 cities. | READ
RESILIENCE ALONG THE RURAL TO URBAN TRANSECT
2015 | White paper for ULI exploring how resilience changes by community size and location | READ
Evolution of the Planned Community
2011 | Thought paper that looks at how Planned Communities are likely to change in the next decade. | READ
Reinventing Real Estate
2010 | A look at the opportunity for more responsible real estate investing coming out of the 2008 downturn | READ
Developing Sustainable Planned Communities
2007 | Contributions to book that served as an early roadmap for incorporating sustainability into the community development process | PURCHASE
Greenfield Development Without Sprawl
2004 | White paper that tackled the question ‘can planned communities be built without adding to sprawl? | READ
AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN RESORT COMMUNITIES
1995| A look at creating more affordable housing in expensive resort communities as a way to ensure long term viability of the local economy | READ
“My Strengths Finder™ profile says I am fascinated by ideas and enjoy digging through complexity to connect seemingly disparate things in elegantly simple ways. This is reflected in my writings and presentations as I try to show different approaches to solving thorny issues in an enlightening and educational manner.”
ULI Advisory Services Panel Chair 2011
Moscow, Russia