Editorial Awards

The International Impact Book Award feature on the Editorial Awards page highlights a defining milestone for Ali Shasti, the author-engineer-storyteller behind books that inform, inspire, and entertain. In awarding Distinguished Author status for The Old Lady and Her Unwanted Guests, the panel affirms the strength of Ali’s voice and the meaningful imprint it leaves on audiences worldwide. It’s a hard-earned mark of distinction-proof that thoughtful stories can spark real impact and brighten the path for others.

Site Design & Engineering by Ali Shasti ★★★★★ / By Nicky Flowers / June 23, 2026 An experience-rich field guide that turns the tangle of American site permitting into a path readers can finally walk. Visit any urban area in America, and you’ll notice the imprint of zoning codes, environmental regulations, and permitting processes on every level. Yet no two cities are identical. For example, in San Francisco, zero parking minimums encourage transit use. By contrast, suburban commercial sites in Phoenix may require 4 or 5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft. Boston’s historic neighborhoods might have zero‑lot‑line buildings with no front setback, but in Charlotte, many residential zones require up to 20 or more feet of front setback. How can anyone keep all these disparate guidelines straight? In his book, Site Design & Engineering: A Guide for Site Development, Construction Plans Preparation, and Permitting, Ali Shasti sets out to do something ambitious: distill the scattered, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction rules governing land development into one sensible guide. With information that impacts everyone from commercial developers to community block-party organizers, Shasti’s book covers a lot of ground. The early chapters include soil testing requirements, right-of-way permits, conceptual site plans, and more. The book then takes readers through the planning and development of real projects. By peeking in on a project from its earliest planning stages through finished plans.