Editor’s Note

During the past few years, the return to the cities has been at the center of attention as legions of new graduates and retirees, members of the massive Millennial and Baby Boomer generations, have gravitated to the jobs, entertainment and more accessible lifestyles increasingly offered in these walkable urban areas. Companies have long since shifted their headquarters from the suburbs to more centralized locations, and developers have been rushing to provide appealing new live-work-play environments in the inner-ring submarkets surrounding the CBDs. Not so long ago, many of these areas were aged and forgotten, downtowns so empty they echoed, inner…

When Paris sneezes, Europe catches cold,” Prince Klemens von Metternich, first state chancellor of the Austrian Empire, commented during France’s reign of power in 1830. Some variation of the prince’s remark has been applied to many dominant nations over the years, but nowadays pretty much any country can sneeze and the whole world feels a chill, so intertwined are global economies. Of course, the degree to which a nation’s malaise threatens to trigger an epidemic depends on the size of the economy in question. Hence, Portugal’s fiscal crisis caused less of a stir than Spain’s, although Europe’s multiple breakdowns—afflicting Greece,…

As the economy recovers, investors and lenders alike have been eagerly pouring money back into real estate.

Technological advances represent the very essence of innovation. And the CRE industry has come a long way in adopting technology that improves construction, operations and business processes.

After writing last month about innovation as I reflected on the achievements of CPE’s Most Influential People in Real Estate, I flew out to the Urban Land Institute’s Spring Meeting in San Diego, where “Innovate” was the overriding theme. Coincidence? Perhaps, but these days creativity is paramount as the commercial real estate industry explores new ways to address large-scale challenges. A few themes stand out among those discussed during the ULI conference and outlined by Counselors of Real Estate chairman Howard Gelbtuch at the National Association of Real Estate Editors’ conference in early June. Leading trends include the Echo Boomers’…

Far from the provincial sector that once leapt from deal to deal with little thought for data or strategy, commercial real estate has grown into an analytical, sophisticated and accomplished industry.

Bigger, better, faster—the refinements keep coming. That may be human nature, but today it reflects the nature of the retail market as manufacturers and retailers harness ever-advancing technology to attract and retain customers. Over the years, there has been much concern about where technology’s new tools will lead. Real estate owners have feared a waning demand for bricks and mortar. Consumers have feared invasion of privacy as their preferences are recorded and targeted in minute detail. Retailers have feared a loss of turf to e-tailers, in particular Amazon and other mega-players. All are valid concerns. But over time technology has…

The U.S. commercial real estate industry has made some significant strides on the sustainability front recently.

There is nothing more inspiring than talking with a group of achievers about how they got to where they are today. I never walk away from such conversations without new ideas, insights and energy. Indeed, their advice can be widely applied, for despite variations in background, there always seem to be similarities in how they manage, the lessons they have learned and their advice to others. I found this again as we reached out to 25 of the industry’s leading female executives for this month’s Special Report on Top Women in Real Estate. Some have had to fight harder than…

It remains a tumultuous time for the U.S. and world economies, and the post-deadline “fiscal cliff” deal did little to calm the waters.