Curt Johansen on Building Conservation Communities

In this Convo of Flanigan’s Eco-Logic, Ted speaks with Curt Johansen, a pioneer in conservation communities. He is the Development Director for Triad Communities, President of Council of Infill Builders, and has dedicated years to blending economic growth with environmental preservation. In his own words, he is advancing the art of finding balance between environmental protection, social responsibility, and economic prosperity. Curt and Ted dive right into his work building out Lagoon Valley, the Bay Area’s First Conservation Community, where sustainability is not just a goal but a way of life. Curt oversees all aspects of community development, which features over 700,000 square feet of office space, an organic farm, wildlife preserve, 1,015 homes consisting of fourteen neighborhoods, ranging from affordable to age-qualified and executive housing, a vibrant Town Center, numerous parks, with over 70% of the Specific Plan area conserved for open space and recreational use. He and Ted discuss the sustainable development principles that are at the core of the community. He emphasizes the importance of incorporating live, work, and play. He also mentions the conservation work and preservation that has been done and is unique to the community. This includes a golf course that will not only serve as a championship-level course, but will act as a fire and flood buffer for the area.Curt shares that his design model has always been to never replicate, but to embrace change and diversity, to employ compassion for the uniqueness of each location, to honor existing demands of environmental stewardship, and employ lessons learned from others that find better methods for living sustainably on this planet. Ted concludes by commending him for deliberately creating a sustainable culture and community, and addressing all the resource issues that the Lagoon Valley faces.