My name is Don Chen and I live in a little town on the Hudson River with my wife and kids. I currently run the Ford Foundation‘s Metropolitan Opportunity Unit, which supports some quite amazing people and organizations that are using urban development strategies in the United States and Global South countries to reduce poverty, strengthen sustainability, and boost prosperity for all. Before that, I was the founder and CEO of Smart Growth America (SGA), the nation’s leading smart growth advocacy group. During my tenure at SGA, I led efforts to create the National Vacant Properties Campaign (which has since spun off as the Center for Community Progress) and Transportation for America. I also arranged a friendly merger between SGA and the venerable Growth Management Leadership Alliance, which was launched in 1990 and consists of roughly 35 regional and state growth management groups in North America.

Despite the title of this site, I don’t have a plan for how I’m going to use it. It’s just a repository for thoughts that I’m trying to get out of my monkey mind.

You can also follow me on Twitter @donchennyc.

Welcome.