John Karras

All of my professional work and many of my personal interests are centered on a bold idea -- Every community has the potential to become a more vibrant place. This belief comes from three distinct places: 1) a deep personal obsession with cities, quality urban places, and all forms of geography ranging from the built environment, to the natural environment, to economic world we live in 2) a decade of work as a national economic development strategist, where I’ve worked with thousands of community and business leaders to help guide the strategic growth of big cities, suburbs, and rural communities 3) a desire to understand the DNA of successful communities, which led me to create the urbanSCALE Rating System, the first comprehensive measure of how urban a city is on a scale of 1 to 10 As Senior Consultant with TIP Strategies, I channel my energies to empower economic development professionals and civic leaders with the knowledge and tools needed to make their communities more vibrant. I have spent more than a decade working as a national economic development strategist. During that time, I have worked with thousands of community and business leaders who shared their insights and contributed to the strategic growth of big cities, suburbs, and rural communities. When I’m not working, I am usually with my wife (Cyndy) and son (Gavin) in Austin, watching football (Broncos, Packers & Longhorns baby!), or living out my dream of finding and tasting the world’s best tacos and BBQ. I also love to travel to new places around the US (for fun and work) and have a never-ending list of domestic and international places to visit one day in the near future... My professional specialties include: Economic Development, Public Speaking, Urban Planning, Digital Marketing, Strategic Planning, Tactical Urbanism, Project Management, Transportation Planning, GIS