Brent Bellinger | Super Experience Host

I’m originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I grew up near Lake Michigan and spent a good chunk of my summers fishing around the city and northern Wisconsin, which stoked my interest in lakes and rivers. However, being raised in the urban environment also made me appreciate the diversity of people, food, cultures, and all that comes with life that the built landscape provides. It is an odd position being a YIMBY Environmentalist. I did my schooling throughout the upper Midwest, eventually earning my Ph.D. I subsequently worked in South Florida, taking in the Everglades while also living in the dense urban setting that is the Palm Beach-Miami metroplex. After, I moved to northern Minnesota where I worked with the EPA doing research on Lake Superior. Working on some of the largest and most unique aquatic ecosystems makes one appreciate the majesty of nature, but also how much humans are impacting the world around us. I moved to Austin, Texas, in 2014 and was quickly taken aback at what an amazing place this is. The environmental ethos is something pervasive and has provided the city with so many of its features that today, so many people enjoy including Barton Creek and the pool, Zilker Park, Emma Long Park, Walter E Long Park…and all of the greenbelts following the myriad creeks of the city. Besides this environmental conscience, Austin is also a boomtown. Rapidly evolving in its building height and density, which I fully revel in. The city has some of the best food and microbreweries. Most surprising, though, are the people. Austin has a completely different vibe from any city in Texas and most of the country. It’s laid back. It’s casual. It’s chill. It’s friendly and welcoming. Though demographics are changing, and always do, one doesn’t have to look hard to find some of the coolest people happy to share all the things they enjoy that make Austin great. I just wish the summers were not so hot…..