Steve Nygren in conversation with Jim Durrett

Visionary placemaker Steve Nygren chronicles the rise of Serenbe, a pioneering model of biophilic living outside Atlanta, and charts a path for others wishing to challenge the status quo, embrace optimism, and reinvent their communities…and themselves. 

For many Americans, life is no longer working. We are increasingly sick, stressed, anxious, and unhappy. Many feel left behind by the economy, disillusioned by once-respected institutions, and helpless in the face of environmental decline. Steve Nygren argues that much of this can be traced to where—and how—we live. By rethinking and reinvesting in our own communities, we can rediscover the joy of connected, meaningful lives for ourselves and future generations. Start in Your Own Backyard provides a blueprint for developing sustainable communities where citizens of all generations can thrive, and awe is found in everyday moments, which requires understanding: 

• The unintended consequences of sprawl, and why clustered development supports more green space, more housing, and lower costs
• Why being disconnected from nature and each other is at the root of many environmental, societal, and health-related woes
• Tactics to encourage a local food-based economy (and why that matters)
• How small yards, front porches, and blueberry bushes at crosswalks lead to strong, supportive neighborhoods
• The benefits of aging in place, and how to nurture connections between uncaged elders and free-range kids

Whether you’re a placemaker, developer, civic leader, business owner, or parent or grandparent wishing to improve the things that complicate your life, this book is for you. It educates and inspires, demonstrates the impact of local action, and sparks hope that one person can change the world in amazing ways by starting in your own backyard. Why shouldn’t that person be you?

Steve Nygren is the Founder and CEO of Serenbe, a wellness community created as a model to demonstrate that preserving green space interlaced with agriculture, housing and retail is not only economically viable, but the future of community wellbeing. He is also the National bestselling author of the book, Start In Your Own Backyard, chronicling the rise of Serenbe and charting a path for others wishing to challenge the status quo, embrace optimism, and reinvent their communities…and themselves. His journey started when he led the effort to create the Chattahoochee Hill Country Alliance bringing together landowners, developers, and conservationists for a mutually agreed upon solution for balanced growth across 40,000 acres. This effort resulted in a historic Georgia land use plan adopted to preserve 70% of the acreage on the edge of Atlanta while providing 20% more housing than traditional yield of suburban sprawl. His work has earned him the Global Wellness Institute’s Leader in Innovation Award and Southface’s Argon Award as well as recognition from the Urban Land Institute and the Atlanta Regional Commission. He was also named Georgia Trend’s 2019 Most Respected Business Leader and the MLK Jr. Beloved Community Environmental Justice Award in 2025. 

Steve currently serves on multiple local and national boards dealing with children, agriculture and environmental issues including The Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Children & Nature Network, Chattahoochee Now and The Biophilic Institute. He is also a Partner at Nygren Placemaking consulting and started his career as a serial hospitality entrepreneur, having founded the 34-restaurant group, Peasant Restaurants.

Jim Durrett is president & chief executive officer of the Buckhead Coalition and executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District (CID). The Coalition is an invitation-only membership organization. The CID is a local government entity. The Buckhead Coalition’s mission is to advocate on behalf of the community within the city of Atlanta and metropolitan region; to support the well-being of Buckhead’s residents, businesses and visitors; to convene public and private sector leaders and partner organizations; and to connect Buckhead to other areas of the city and region. The mission of the Buckhead CID is to create and maintain a safe, accessible and livable urban environment in the heart of the Buckhead commercial area. They meet the challenges of growth by investing tax dollars collected from commercial property owners within the district, as well as other funds they leverage from outside the district, to make meaningful improvements in the transportation network and public realm that connect people and places.

He is an Atlanta native and lives in DeKalb County with his wife, Pat. They have two grown sons, James and Ryan.