thinking about
---
Originally Posted at The Huffington Post
---
At the Aspen Ideas Festival on June 1st Secretary Arne Duncan was under the spotlight on his plans to revamp the education system in America. With $100B in play, there is a lot of opportunity to encourage and support innovative educational reform and there was no denying his passion and eloquence in speaking about pushing the entire system back to being one of the best in the world.
While a small sliver of the pie I felt the most exciting aspect of this far-reaching plan was the $5B being set up to encourage and reward states that are proactively pushing reform. Additionally while I can write about the many, many positive things said what worried me, as someone involved in improving school environments, was his comment that 'it is not about the building'. Sorry Arne, while I agree it is about the children and while teacher performance is important -- it is ALSO about the building.
In honor of Frank Lloyd Wrights birthday (June 8) Google SketchUp partnered with The Guggenheim Museum to launch a competition to design a simple shelter. By using Google SketchUp and Google Earth you can choose any site and create any basic dwelling (without water, gas or electricity). While it is a great creative initiative, it could go one step further by challenging participants to design with purpose.
---
Originally posted on The Huffington Post on June 3, 2009
---
In the midst of a forum on the state of the construction and real estate industry a group of us were treated to a 'state of the economy' luncheon. During the conflicting views of optimism and pessimism the good news is most felt we were through the roughest quarters and the bottom was almost over. Stabilized was the key word used. However for the construction industry it usually takes a few quarters and the rebound will hopefully be jump started by a reinvestment in housing stock, with a focus on affordability and sustainability. There was a small fact in the presentation that seem to go unquestioned. The issue of the post college re-nesters.
Two Generations - One Problem
The drop in the US housing market is being partly compounded by a tri-effect created by the baby boomers and the echo boomers, those born between 1989 and 1993.
