Unconventional Urbanism

In this episode of Unconventional Urbanism , I sit down with small-scale developer Katie Neason to explore how one person can transform a downtown through incremental development, adaptive reuse, and a long-term commitment to place. From financing first-of-their-kind projects to cultivating local businesses and rethinking economic development, Katie shares practical lessons and an inspiring vision...

From $1 houses to community-rooted development, Bernice Radle shares how she built a career revitalizing Buffalo one building at a time, proving that small-scale, people-first real estate can transform neighborhoods from the ground up. In this conversation, we talk about what it actually looks like to do this work on the ground, the barriers small developers face, and why empowering local ownershi...

Mike is what you might call an “accidental developer.” He didn’t come up through traditional real estate. He started out in sustainability and academia, and kind of stumbled into development by asking a simple question: what can I actually do to make my neighborhood better? Instead of waiting around for someone else to fix things, he just started. One building, one project, one relationship at a t...

In this episode of Unconventional Urbanism, Abby talks with Clay Chapman, a master mason and builder leading a revival of structural masonry at Carlton Landing. Clay is challenging modern construction by returning to load-bearing brick and craft-based building, prioritizing durability, beauty, and permanence in an industry often driven by speed. Follow Clay's Work: https://www.artisantrades.co...

In this episode, Abby sits down with Monte Anderson, an incremental developer based in Southern Dallas and president of Options Real Estate Investments. Known for transformative, community-rooted projects like Tyler Station, Main Station Duncanville, and Wheatland Plaza, Monte has built a career around doing development differently... prioritizing people, place, and long-term stewardship over scal...