Tim Hernandez, Co-Founder and Principal, New Urban Communities

Tim Hernandez has had three jobs in forty years: city planner, Pulte Homes executive, and founder of New Urban Communities, the Delray Beach developer behind the Courtyards of Delray, Atlantic Grove, Victoria Park, and the Pompano Beach Fishing Village. He also teaches three classes in the University of Miami's MRED+U program. "Born and raised in Motown," Tim grew up in a blue-collar Detroit suburb, the adopted son of a schoolteacher and a ceramics artist. He paid his own way through Michigan State as an urban planning major with highway maps on his dorm walls. "I saw what shitty cities look like and I saw what good cities look like." Hosts Felipe Azenha and Ben Hoffman poured Entremanos tequila and walked through the whole story: four years as a city planner in North Chicago, a night MBA at Northwestern, fifteen years at Pulte, and Salamanca, the 160-acre Duany Plater-Zyberk neighborhood in Kendall that a county commissioner killed on the dais. "That changed my whole mindset about what is good development and what is bad development." So he left, with Bill Pulte's son-in-law as his partner and Bill's equity as his seed money. From there: 32 townhomes on one acre off Atlantic Avenue that made the cover of Professional Builder, the Great Financial Crisis when "we said our prayers every night," and six acres of Pompano Beach parking lot that nobody would bid on until he did, and that he credits with changing the identity of a city. Up next: an 89-unit walkable condo on Wilton Drive with Stiles, inspired by Alys Beach. His philosophy fits in the assignment he gives students on day one, A Place I Love: "The whole point of it is for them to understand that real estate is emotional." And the goal, after forty years of new urbanism, is not houses. "What I think the true American dream is being part of a community." Connect with us **Want to dive deeper into Miami’s commercial real estate scene?** - 📧 **Get in touch:** Built World Advisors - 🎙️ **Listen & Watch:** Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube - 📱 **Follow the show:** LinkedIn | Instagram **Connect with the Hosts:** - Felipe Azenha - Ben Hoffman **Our Partners & Sponsors** 🏢 **Studio Space:** A special thank you to Büro coworking space for hosting us!  **Proudly sponsored by:** - Top of Mind PR - Vizzda - Vinya