User:David Arscott

David Petherbridge Arscott (born October 1, 1948) is an urban and regional planner, property developer, and designer and builder of historically correct homes in the American vernacular. He developed Interest Group Theory in 1973 to explain the the outcomes on the urban landscape as the result of the interplay of broad, simplistically agglomerating groups of interests. Most commonly these are perceived as residents and developers, but also include government as a separate group with an agenda largely its own, as well as the media.

Career 1969 through 2000

During and after undergraduate studies, David was a construction planner for the Lummus Company building the Bruce Heavy Water Plant, a nuclear code project in Bruce County,Ontario. After consulting briefly to Bovis Corporation, a British property development firm, he joined the Metropolitan Toronto Planning department in 1974. There his emphases were policy planning, urban economics, and their relation to transportation planning. In 1978, he joined realtor A. E. LePage, responsible for corporate planning and as Director of Research for commercial real estate. LePage became Royal LePage in 1986, and at that time had about 12,000 employees in Canada. In 1978, LePage also had a controlling 23% interest in Coldwell Banker, which was subsequently sold to Sears. During the 1980's David was a deal maker in office buildings with the Toronto commercial operations. In the 1990's, he became involved in property development in Toronto and Austin, Texas, moving to Austin in 1994.

Current fields of activity

In 2000, David formed Hassaw Homes to design and construct architecturally correct custom homes in Austin, Texas. Each design is one of a kind, and many have been in the Arts & Crafts tradition of Greene & Greene and other early 20th century architects. Whether designing alone or with noted architects, the practice focuses on legitimate American architecture. Hassaw Homes' envisioning and creation services are available for clients throughout the United States and elsewhere. It has been confirmed that Hassaw stands for "Hike all summer, ski all winter", a reminder that homes are about living and should follow from fundamental life visions of the family.

Arscott Planning is a consulting practice in urban and regional planning, urban design and transportation planning. This service is available to clients in the United States and internationally.

Arscott Capital Management & Development is a strategic advisory service designed to assist major, long term investors in real estate. It includes regional and metropolitan evaluations within a national and international context, and provides advice on continuity planning, and strategic approaches to realization of investment goals for clients' capital.

Early life

David Arscott was born in Listowel, Ontario, Canada, in Perth County. His father Donald Petherbridge, was a science teacher, and his mother Margaret (nee Reid) was a nurse and homemaker. In 1963, the family moved to Kincardine, Ontario in Bruce County when his father took the principal's position at the local high school.

David received a Bachelor of Environmental Studies of the University of Waterloo(Ontario)in 1972 in Urban & Regional Planning. He received an MES in Urban Development Processes from York University in Toronto in 1974.

Family history

David's father was born in Brampton, Ontario in 1919 to Thomas Petherbridge Arscott and Mary Churchward, both natives of South Devon, England. Thomas descended from a John Arscott, born 1710 in Buckfastleigh, South Devon, the first born south of Dartmoor. All Devon Arscotts are in turn descended from one John born 1349 in Holsworthy, North Devon, whose father John migrated from near Shrewsbury in Shropshire some time after 1346. Extant court documents from the 1340's record the change of spelling of the surname from De Ardescote. This name first appears in an earl's court record from 1086 near Reading, England. This apparently Norman name translates literally as "from near Ardes". This may refer to the small village in the Central Massif of south central France which in medieval times was an administrative center for part of Auvergne. A link between Normandy and Ardes is the marriage of Gerletta, a daughter of Rollo (Robert I), first Duke of Normandy, about 920 to William II, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Auvergne. After William's death in 926, Gerletta may have returned to Normandy with her retinue, including one or more persons from Ardes as part of her household.

Personal life

David continues to reside in Austin, Texas with his wife Susanna and son Charles, born in 1999. Susanna is a full participant in Hassaw Homes. She is from Dallas, Texas, and has a degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. David also has four older children. Jonathan, born 1973, is in residential real estate in Toronto, and provides strategic management services to clients. Jennifer, born 1976, is a dentist in Connecticut, having graduated third in her class of 250 from New York University, and is married to Alireza Namjoo, also a dentist. Robert, born 1981, was with the Union Bank of Switzerland, and is currently doing his MBA at Oxford, England in International Finance. His wife Meghan is expecting their first child in 2011. Emily, born 1984, is taking her masters degree in Art History at Christie's School in London, England.

Full referencing to be provided by March 27, 2011.