On July 8th, 2009, I sat down and wrote my very first post on this here blog. I didn't know what form it would end up taking, what I would be writing about, or who in their right mind would want to read what I had to say - a veritable leap of faith to stake a claim in my little corner of the Internet. In the intervening months I'd say I've discovered my voice (or at least taken a big step in the right direction) and continued to develop my passion for sustainable design and development, among other related topics and issues. I've read a LOT, written considerably less - for every post that appears here there are at least three or four more that lay unfinished, either in my head or logged somewhere in cyberspace - and produced an end product that I hope has been informative and provocative for you, the reader.Speaking of readers, I must extend a thank you to everyone who has given me feedback in the last year, either through comments here or in person. Your spot-on advice and probing questions have been instrumental in this process of academic exploration and personal growth (because there is something inherently transformative about broadcasting your opinions and observations for the rest of the world to see). If this blog has been half of the learning experience for you as it has been for me, then I think I've accomplished part of what I set out to do.
So after an extended period of radio silence these past few weeks, I'm back in action. Tomorrow I officially start my senior year at Brown, and I'm excited for what will surely be another year of deepening my understanding of and appreciation for all things sustainable urbanism. Rest assured: there are many many posts waiting in my cerebral pipeline, so stay tuned in the coming days, weeks and months for more commentary.
I hope you'll come along for the ride.