Future of Living

Andrew Dickson (@bennettdickson, TW) believes the way homes are built is fundamentally flawed. The idea that we're still constructing homes from the ground up, board by board, home by home is, in his opinion, inefficient and old-fashioned. He sees a future of turnkey homes built using pre-fabricated segments, extremely automated, and able to go seamlessly move on and off the electrical grid.

Dickson is the CEO & Founder of Acre Designs, a home construction startup re-imagining the American Home. In this replay from their conversation at the beginning of the year, Blake and Andrew discuss:

• Why home construction must be change.
• How Acre's approach to single-family construction also benefits multi-family construction.
• How to create energy independent homes and neighborhoods.

Learn more about Andrew and Acre at https://acre.co or on Andrew's LinkedIn page. You can also find Andrew on Twitter, @bennettdickson.

Find The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Or on Twitter and Instagram: @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living Podcast is produced by Media Club. Learn more at https://mediaclub.co.

Micro-mobility is a term often used to describe tools and services that facilitate the first or last leg of a journey. That short bit of travel required to make it to or from the longer, typically car-facilitated part of a trip. Currently, services like Bird, Lime, and Citibike are providing micro-mobility services in cities across America. VeoRide (@veoride.mobility, IG), however, is specifically focused on filling this need on college campuses, or micro-cities as we like to think of them.

College campuses aren't unlike cities, multi-family or mixed-use developments in that they also must deal with providing parking for students, staff, and guests. Roads inherently divide and when creating a vibrant, engaging community is paramount, planning, designing and building for micro-mobility is a great way to provide more green space, cut back on automobile traffic, and cut carbon emissions.

Spencer Dickerson is the Western US Regional Manager for VeoRide, a micro-mobility sharing company that works with communities to provide convenient, eco-friendly, and responsible transportation for the modern world. VeoRide was born out fo two students shared frustration in finding flexible, reliable and convenient transportation on campus.

In this conversation, Blake and Spencer discuss:

• Why Real Estate professionals should be integrating with micro-mobility services.
• The micro-mobility considerations RE Pros must be aware of when planning, designing, constructing or retrofitting a building.
• How micro-mobility options can aid in greater community engagement and resident happiness.

Learn more about VeoRide at their website, https://www.veoride.com. Follow them on Instagram, @veoride.mobility, on Facebook, @VeoRide, on Twitter, @VeoRideMobility, and on LinkedIn.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living Podcast is produced by Media Club. Learn more at https://mediaclub.co.

Joe Colistra believes in the power of community and that if we could share more meaningful data, instead of trying to steal it, we might see advancements beyond our wildest imaginations. This episode is a replay of an early episode of Future of Living. The work Joe and his researchers are doing is making a huge difference in how communities are being designed.

Colistra is Associate Professor of Architecture, Design, and Planning at the University of Kansas. In addition to his work with KU he is the founder of In Situ Design, an international architecture and urban design firm. In Situ has won multiple awards and been published even more. The firm is obsessed with finding ways to use architecture as an instrument for transforming communities.

Joe is uniquely interested in merging new technology into senior living communities. An area often ignored. This conversation covers a lot of ground. In this episode, Blake and Joe discuss:

• How common technology like accelerometers can be used to diagnose things like dementia and malnutrition.
• Why population health data is important for governments and developers alike.
• What Real Estate developers should be considering when creating communities for longevity.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living Podcast is produced by Media Club. Learn more at https://mediaclub.co.

Joe Colistra believes in the power of community and that if we could share more meaningful data, instead of trying to steal it, we might see advancements beyond our wildest imaginations. This episode is a replay of an early episode of Future of Living. The work Joe and his researchers are doing is making a huge difference in how communities are being designed.

Colistra is Associate Professor of Architecture, Design, and Planning at the University of Kansas. In addition to his work with KU he is the founder of In Situ Design, an international architecture and urban design firm. In Situ has won multiple awards and been published even more. The firm is obsessed with finding ways to use architecture as an instrument for transforming communities.

Joe is uniquely interested in merging new technology into senior living communities. An area often ignored. This conversation covers a lot of ground. In this episode, Blake and Joe discuss:

• How common technology like accelerometers can be used to diagnose things like dementia and malnutrition.
• Why population health data is important for governments and developers alike.
• What Real Estate developers should be considering when creating communities for longevity.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living Podcast is produced by Media Club. Learn more at https://mediaclub.co.

It might not seem connected, but nearly drowning as a child lead Dr. Brian Matthys into Dermatology. Nearly drowning convinced him he needed to become a stronger swimmer. So he committed himself to that endeavor and spent an exceptional amount of time under the sun and in the water at the pool practicing, and lifeguarding. It was during this time he witnessed first hand the harmful effects of sun damage on un- or poorly protected skin. 

A self-described “fixer,” today Dr. Matthys is on a mission to help people protect their skin. Part of that mission gave birth to Eclipse Rx™, a patent pending, solar-powered, wearable device that tracks sun exposure and uses technology to change behaviors to help people protect their skin.

This technology is opening up a world of opportunity for physicians and remotely monitored healthcare. In this conversation, Blake and Dr. Matthys discuss:

• How Real Estate developers can increase the longevity of properties by protecting against sun damage.
• Steps property owners and community planners can take to assist in improving residents sun health.
• What remotely monitored healthcare actually means for the future of physicians.

Learn more about Eclipse Rx™ at https://eclipsrx.com and give them a follow on Instagram, @eclipse.rx, on Twitter, @LUVLifeOutdoors and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/exclipserx. Connect with Dr. Matthys on his LinkedIn page.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living is produced by Media Club.

Did you know that your home is twice as likely to suffer water damage than fire or theft combined? Gabe Halimi (@gabehalimi, TW) is well aware of this and learned the hard way. After suffering catastrophic water damage, Gabe's Dad felt he could devise a solution to stop home water damage before it started. Thus Flo was created.

Halimi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Flo Technologies, the creators of a breakthrough plumbing technology that detects and stops leaks before they turn into much bigger problems. Prior to his own experience, Gabe Halimi was very familiar with plumbing failures. As a claims manager, he touched millions of dollars in product liability claims for allegedly failed plumbing products. This was a crucial career step that helped give way to Flo.

In this conversation, Blake and Gabe discuss:

• How technology like Flo is affecting water conservation at a municipal level.
• Ways for Multifamily and Multi-purpose real estate to leverage preventative technology like Flo.
• Why the Internet of Things might resurrect skilled labor trades.

Find Gabe on Twitter, @gabehalimi or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielhalimi. Also, feel free to email Gabe at [email protected]. Learn more about Flo and watch a great video with Gabe and his Dad at https://meetflo.com.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

The Future of Living Podcast is produced by Media Club. Learn more at https://mediaclub.co.

Chris Webb (@ChrisChowNow, TW) has always had an affinity for small and independently owned restaurants. Dining at these restaurants, in his opinion, is like taking a mini-vacation. His love of these small businesses and his own family's small step into the food retail space revealed in him a passion at the intersection of food and technology.

Chris Webb is the CEO and co-founder of ChowNow, the leading online ordering and marketing platform for local restaurants. Founded in 2011, ChowNow currently works with 11,000 restaurants nationwide – making it easy for customers to order directly from their websites, ChowNow-built branded mobile apps and third-party websites including Google, Yelp, and Instagram.

Prior to ChowNow, Chris was a founding investor in healthy, fast-casual chain Tender Greens. Chris’ involvement in Tender Greens fueled his mission to put smaller independent restaurants on a level playing field with the national chains when it came to technology solutions, tools, and apps.

The LA-native began his career with ten years trading on Wall Street at various firms including Lehman Brothers and RBC Capital Markets.

In this conversation, Blake and Chris discuss:

• Why ordering direct from the retailer should always be the consumer's first option.
• How Google, Yelp, and Facebook stack up against each other in the restaurant discovery and rating space.
• Practical ways Real Estate Owners and Developers can make their properties more conducive to food delivery services for their residents and the services.

ChowNow is available nationwide and can be found online at https://get.chownow.com. You can find Chris on Twitter, @ChrisChowNow and on his LinkedIn page.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

Matt Staub (@staubio, TW) expects that in the not-so-distant future urban neighborhoods will see an even greater influx of residents than is already being experienced. The pace of automation replacing traditional jobs will gut rural and exurb towns, driving those residents to nearby metros in search of work. In Staub's opinion, this means we have to think more broadly about the definition of affordable housing.

Matt Staub serves as Kansas City Parking and Transportation Chair and Commissioner of the Kansas City Streetcar Authority. He describes himself as an urban advocate and outspoken civic leader, taking a no-nonsense approach to improving the quality of life for citizens and visitors.

In this conversation Blake and Matt discuss:

• The importance of "naturally occurring" affordable housing.
• What "housing a la carte" means and how it will shape future neighborhoods.
• The opportunities available to City Planners as the makeup of urban neighborhoods rapidly evolves.

We highly recommend following Matt on Twitter, @staubio.  His Instagram, also @staubio, is also full of delightful urban and transportation oriented eye candy. You can learn more about his marketing firm, Proxima at https://findproxima.com, and more about Matt on his LinkedIn page.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

Elizabeth Glynn is passionate about what is happening in Indian Country here in America. Most Americans are simply unaware of what life is like in Indian Country and America has failed to invest as it should in these communities. As CEO of Travois, Glynn oversees more than $1.4 billion in financing for affordable housing and economic development in Indian Country. More than $700 million of that is private investor equity.

Travois was started in 1995 by Elizabeth's father, David W. Bland. He named the company Travois in homage to the set of poles that Plains Indians tied together to carry valuable things across rough terrain. It should come as no surprise that the company motto is, You know where you want to go; let us pull some of the weight for you.

In this conversation, Blake and Elizabeth discuss:

• Why Indian Country lacks basic infrastructure.
• How bringing broadband to Native American communities is literally saving lives.
• Opportunities to real estate investors and developers, and tech companies to partner with tribal communities for impact and profit.

Learn more about Travois and the fantastic work they are doing throughout America at travois.com. You'll find them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the username: @travoiskc. You can find Elizabeth on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/glynnelizabeth.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.

There's a saying, "Wherever you go, there you are." Nitesh Gandhi, Founder & CEO of Locale wants to make it so that wherever you go, you have a home. Locale (@StayWithLocale, IG) is an innovative, design-led aparthotel company based in Austin, TX. They partner with real estate owners and developers to design, furnish, and lease vacant units for short term stays.

Aparthotel is a relatively new term that we wrote about on the Homebase blog, Aparthotels: How Far Will Multifamily and Hospitality Converge?. Some might see it as the next evolution of Airbnb, but Gandhi envisions something bigger, Living as a Service.

In this conversation Blake and Nitesh discuss:

• What Aparthotels are and how they benefit real estate owners and developers.
• How Living as a Service will introduce a new level of flexibility for both independent and corporate workers.
• The role of community when building vibrant multifamily, mixed-use properties.

Learn more about Locale and Nitesh Gandhi at https://www.staywithlocale.com. Check out the Locale Instagram account, too, if you need to quench some wanderlust. The Locale Facebook page is where you can keep up with what's happening at various Locale destinations. Finally, connect with Nitesh Gandhi on his LinkedIn page.

Find more of The Future of Living Podcast online at https://futureoflivingpodcast.com. Connect with us on Twitter and Instagram, @FutureLivingPod.