I’ve written before about the so-called NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) (see my blog entry, Wealth Inequality). Recently I read an article on the website of the Sierra Club discussing the people referred to as YIMBYs (Yes In My Backyard). “Pro-Housing Urban Millennials Say "Yes In My Backyard" offers a different take on the NIMBYs: how they organize in neighborhoods or lobbying groups to stop or slow down projects of any size that require discretionary approvals. YIMBYs are the complete opposite.

When I first started taking construction documents to the Building Department, even people who were putting their design ideas on napkin were getting permits. You could draw up construction documents and, if your design was simple, you could use Type 5 standard approved details from the Building Department. Back then, very few city planning issues created hearing requirements, and city departments would usually check plans over the counter, employing a practical rather than a word-by-word review.

I have been called a “true visionary,” which is a wonderful complement, but it got me thinking about what that word actually means.

 It is in my nature to look at the big picture. I’ve always surveyed was going on around me with an eye toward how to possibly improve upon it. While working for other companies I would think of ways to streamline procedures, and I’ve had my own office peer reviewed--audited by other businesses and architectural firms to identify ways in which we could modernize our business management, staff procedures and design capabilities. I rested easy to hear our hired responses express praise for our business model, which focuses on having the administrative backup to track and take on adventuresome projects. To think out of the box you must be flexible!

About 15 ago, I had the pleasure of meeting space architect/designer John Spencer “the Wizard of Space Tourism,” with whom I share an appreciation for space tourism and sustainable concepts. I’ve now become a co-founding owner of John’s company, Red Planet Ventures (RPV). The people I have met and the brainstorming session meetings we share really have pushed the limits of the amazing brain trust that Red Planet Ventures has developed. It is fun to share ideas with people from all over the world, and makes for a mind-expanding enterprise.