#7 R. John Anderson - An Insightful Journey From Tradesman to Developer

Today I sit down with the infamous and inspiring R. John Anderson, also known as 'R John the Bad'. We dive into John's unique story, from his early days quitting high school to pursue his passion in the trades, to his transformative experiences as a developer and influential figure in urban planning.

I met John in 2016 at an Incremental Development Alliance workshop he was putting on in San Antonio--teaching normal folks how to be small-scale developers.

I love his message about "form follows finance", and that, while it is good to romanticize and dream, we also have to live in reality if we want to get anything done.

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Enjoy!

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• Takeaways

  • John's early challenges and how they shaped his career

  • Impact of the 2008 financial crisis on his philosophy

  • Transition from tradesman to a successful developer

  • Insights on small-scale development and building sustainable communities

  • John's perspective on 'form follows finance' in urban planning

• Connect with R. John Anderson

  John's Blog: https://www.rjohnthebad.com/

  Incremental Development Alliance: https://www.incrementaldevelopment.org

• Chapters

  00:01 - Introduction to John Anderson
  01:06 - John's early life and entry into construction
  03:15 - Shift to architecture and impact on development philosophy
  05:25 - Experiences with large-scale projects and learning from failures
  08:50 - Influence of Leon Kreer and the New Urbanism movement
  14:28 - Insights on public service and infrastructure development
  20:08 - The journey towards incremental development and small-scale projects
  33:04 - Strategies for young developers in the current financial landscape
  43:52 - The concept of 'form follows finance' in urban design
  01:00:37 - Exploring opportunities in urban renewal and sprawl repair John has a lot of bits of wisdom and insight for anyone interested in architecture, urban planning, and sustainable development.

1:29:13 listen