JOHN BROWN is the editor of theslowhome.com and the founder of the Slow Home Movement. He is a registered architect, real estate broker and Professor of Architecture at the University of Calgary.


CLOSE means living in a walkable neighborhood that is
near where you work.


Cutting down on commuting reduces your carbon footprint and leaves you time to do more important things. CLOSE also means living in a community in which shopping, schools, parks, and other amenities are easily accessible on foot or by bike.

SIMPLE means living in a home that fits your life.


A well organized layout of open spaces with lots of daylight and a connection to outdoors can seamlessly accommodate your busy life without a lot of wasted space, time and effort. SIMPLE also means ensuring that you don't add extra stress to your life with a home you cannot afford.

LIGHT means living in a home that has
less impact on the environment.


Reduce the environmental footprint of your home by making better choices about the size, type and age of your home. LIGHT also means increasing energy efficiency and reducing emissions that are harmful to you and the environment.







We believe that our homes and neighborhoods should be healthy, vibrant places that uplift the spirit and gracefully fit our needs. We call for an end to poor construction, bad design, misleading marketing, unfair lending practices and environmental neglect in the housing industry. We acknowledge our collective responsibility to create CLOSE, SIMPLE, LIGHT places to live that leave a positive legacy for future generations.

provides design focused information that homeowners can use to improve the quality of how and where they live. It takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. The sprawl of cookie cutter housing that surrounds us is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast life that is bad for us, our cities, and the environment. In the same way that slow food raises awareness of the food we eat and how these choices affect our lives, Slow Home empowers you to take more control of your home and improve the quality of how you live while reducing your environmental impact and futureproofing the long term investment value of your home.