2012 will be much like 2011. Experts see a long, grind-it-out recovery with only a few bright spots, but there are deals to be had.
Don Jacobson writes that, "Recent signs of job growth are encouraging, but there likely won't be enough hiring to restore demand for office space to pre-recession levels.
Large employers have figured out how to get by with less office space. And cash-strapped consumers have continued to limit their spending, affecting the growth of retail centers, and thus the rents landlords can charge tenants."
For those looking to invest, "According to an analysis by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute, the winners this year will be high-profile downtown office buildings and income-producing warehouses near transportation hubs, as well as full-service hotels and grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers."
Read the full story: Experts foresee bumps on road to recovery in CRE
Traditional Retail is Hanging by a Thread. What Now for Cities?
After Kaid Benfield paints a rather grim retail outlook — where even retail bastions like San Diego are going dark — he suggests a series of actions for city leaders and planners.
Land Trusts Put Commercial Real Estate in Community Hands
A growing movement to create community-owned commercial spaces could shift power away from institutional landlords.
The Future of Ground-Floor Retail
With demand for housing growing and for physical storefronts waning, do the restrictions imposed by ground-floor retail zoning still make sense?
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority