Co-instructor:
Jack Sanders (Rural Studio, Design Build Adventure)

"Capital creates and destroys its own landscape." -David Harvey, "The Postmodern Condition"

"What we build is proof of the character of our consciousness." -Carles Valhonrat

"The perception of beauty is a moral test. What does it take to behold beauty now invisible?" -H.D. Thoreau

"Highest and Best Use": According to who and for who's benefit? This will be our class' ongoing question.

Academically, this course fits into categories of 'participatory action research', 'experiential learning', 'engaged theory', 'alternative participatory economics', 'sustainability', 'social justice', AND real estate development.

In this class we will embrace realities and rethink conventions pertaining to typical processes and results of real estate production.

Real estate creates many vital accomplishments. However, according to established conventional ways real estate evaluates 'success' and 'goodness', many things are ignored, cheapened, and destroyed.

This class will concentrate in these areas where things get ignored, cheapened, and destroyed. We will actively engage ourselves via actual projects with and for people and places which are challenged and suffer resulting from the status quo of real estate conventions.

In this class we will begin with the realization that everything that gets built is also real estate. Through involvement in community action projects ('experiencias') we will 'do' an alternative form of real estate development: from planting gardens, to repairing and renovating housing, to community action organizing, to building trails, to participating in design charrettes, to proposing design build firms, to proposing community housing development organizations, and so on. We will let 'way lead on to way' with each student claiming alternative 'real estate development' on their own terms. Of primary importance will be active engagement with people in neighborhoods harmed by the real estate status quo.

We will work towards redefining 'real estate' and its motive force, 'highest and best use', according to the contexts/situations we find in areas where guidelines of typical real estate action 'cheapens, ignores, destroys:

• Standard accepted real estate definitions: "Land and anything permanently attached to the land whether by nature or by person." "Land, including all inherent natural attributes and man-made improvements of a permanent nature placed thereon."
• "Highest and Best Use": "Highest and Best Use" is a guiding concept in real estate development, investment, and appraisal which dictates that the highest and best use is the reasonably probable use that produces the highest property value. This is the conventional guiding principle in terms how real estate typically evaluates 'goodness.' In short, whatever use which will generate the highest exchange value (market price, market value) is considered the best use. Important here is the concept of 'maximally productive use', where the use must generate the highest net return (profit) to the developer.

We will constantly ponder and actively engage this reality: Real estate is everything that gets built, real estate effects everyone, real estate creates and destroys its own landscape and thus all do not benefit from its process. So, 'highest and best' according to who? How will we address this via our 'alternative real estate development' projects? How will we behold beauty now invisible?