Chavis – 28 – Land Use Planner – Atlanta, GA/St. Louis, MO

Bio

Chris Chavis is in the professional field of Urban Planning. He specializes in Land Use Zoning, Land Use Development, and Community Revitalization.

His introduction to this profession started at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he earned a Bachelors of Art degree in Urban & Regional Planning. After three years of working inside the profession, he pursued and obtained a Masters of Environmental Planning & Design degree at the University of Georgia in Athens.

Now as a working professional, Chavis is attempting to use urban planning as a social justice instrument for all communities. By doing so, he hopes to revitalize distressed areas, and help thriving neighborhoods protect their visions for their futures.

Favorites (hover / click to see name)

  • music

    • Soul/R&B (Lauryn Hill & Maxwell)
    • Hip-Hop (Outkast & Nas)
    • Blues (B.B. King & Bobby Bland)
    • Jazz (Abdullah Ibrahim & Trombone Shorty)

  • movies

    • Love Jones
    • Coming to America
    • Bourne: Identity, Supremacy, & Ultimatum

  • publications

    • Black Boy – Richard Wright
    • Souls of Black Folk – W.E.B. DuBois
    • A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela

  • I am BlerdNation because...

    I LOVE my craft. I look forward to my days of work, because productivity does not feel like a burden. Any nerd of any capacity usually embraces what his/her talent is and will improve it and execute it without external pressures. Blerds are what they do. I fit in that category.

  • Who is your blerd role model? Why?

    Majora Carter is a Community Activist. Her strategic approach and her tenacious attitude to make communities better for poor people is something that I aspire to implement in my professional practice.

  • How do you stay connected to other blerds?

    I do not do well with staying connected, unless I am directly engaged. However, I’m looking forward to using www.blerdnation.com to provide the forum for awesome people.

  • What’s your favorite word/phrase?

    “Dope” is by far my favorite word. I use it to describe extraordinary happenings or experiences within everyday life.

  • What are your goals/passions?

    My primary goal is to empower communities so that they can plan for their future growth and streamline the goals for creating a great quality of life for its residence and visitors. I have a passion to serve.

  • What are you listening to, watching, or reading that impacts you or that is giving you a different perspective?

    I’m currently listening to Wale’s mix tape Falorin and I’ve started to follow the music of Emeli Sande’ out of Scotland. She’s dope!

  • Are there any famous, or not-so-famous, people that you think would be a great addition to BlerdNation?

    Majora Carter – Community Activist (Kind of Famous)

    Volna Ramone – St. Louis, Teacher/Rapper (Not-so-famous)

    Shawn Williams – Strategy Consultant (Not-so-famous but kind of a BIG DEAL)

  • What advice would you give to other blerds?

    I will not attempt to advise but I will share my belief about Blerds. It is important that we constantly groom our knowledge and talents. This is not for self-gratification but so that our Blerd abilities will remain relevant. Furthermore, it is important to sharpen those tools. If this is executed, the talents can be shared and passed on to others who can advance the talent and safeguard the responsibilities, which are attached to that talent.

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