John Bela is the founder and director of Rebar with Matthew Passmore and Blaine Merker. John brainstorms and executes tactical urban interventions intended improve urban human habitat, rethinking the way we occupy and inhabit urban space. Trained as an artist, scientist, and environmental designer, John also works with CMG Landscape Architecture and SF Victory Gardens designing and building public landscapes and urban gardens in San Francisco. John is described as an ideas volcano and has an unnatural ability to clairvoyantly tap into concepts with broad cultural currency. A passionate urbanist and imagineer he simultaneously sees the way things could be and the humor and absurdity of what is.

 

John travels and lectures internationally, most recently in Venice, Italy and Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Recent national television appearances include a segment on PBS’s The Victory Garden show describing the Slow Food Nation Victory Garden.