#9 Sam Day Pt. 2: Retrofitting Suburbia, Importance of Centers, Architecture School & Development

Today I'm dropping the second half of my conversation with Sam Day. In case you missed Part 1, head back to Episode 8 in our Podcast series to check it out. 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). At the beginning of this episode, we continue our conversation on the importance of centers, the challenge of creating centers in suburbia, and the possibility of improving suburbia with possibilities like e-bikes, delivery and more. We have a lot of fun getting into the rapid-fire questions and question that our viewers asked via Instagram, topics like habits and routines, the challenges of architecture school and the importance of learning construction details, and even personal topics like the meaning of fatherhood for the both us. If you enjoyed today's show, make sure to like, comment and share! RESOURCES Podcast Recommendations: - Henry George Podcast - http://seethecat.org/ - Ezra Klein - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447 - Adam Tooze - https://adamtooze.com/category/on-record/podcast/ Book Recommendations: - Regenesis: https://www.amazon.com.au/Regenesis-World-Without-Devouring-Planet/dp/0141992999 - Micheal Pollen - A Place of My Own (Architecture-theme) - https://a.co/d/aVs5a6U How to Change Your Mind - https://a.co/d/9CJJkDI Omnivores Dilemma - https://a.co/d/0bxxumn - Rise of the Community Builders - https://a.co/d/9hKNKpw - Developing Expertise - https://a.co/d/7h06dT7 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in /samuel-day https://www.instagram.com /_sam_day https://www.wheelerdistrict.com/ Takeaways: - Innovative solutions are needed to address the challenges of housing affordability, community building, and sustainable development. - Learning construction details and practical knowledge is challenging in architecture school, and gaining experience on job sites is crucial. - Being a new father is a rewarding experience, and observing a child's growth and development is fascinating. - Working with clients as an architect can be challenging, as there may be a disconnect between the architect's values and the client's priorities. - Investing in high-quality lighting, landscaping, and tactile elements like hardware can greatly enhance the overall design and experience of a space. 00:00 Creating Centers 04:52 The Challenge of Suburban Development 08:00 Distributed Shopping Centers and E-Bikes to Improve Suburbia 22:20 Habits and Routines 25:20 Podcasts Books That Have Changed Our Thinking 35:00 Getting Started as a Developer 38:00 Pivoting into Construction 43:17 The Joys of Fatherhood 47:30 Challenges of Working with Clients 50:00 Splurging on High-End Items 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: The Building Culture Playbook - https://playbook.buildingculture.com/p/blueprint-1-life-is-boring-yet-profound