Author: John Egan

John Egan is a freelance writer, editor, and content marketing strategist in Austin, Texas. Aside from Urban Land, his work has been published by CreditCards.com, Bankrate, Credit Karma, LendingTree, PolicyGenius, HuffPost, National Real Estate Investor, and other online outlets.

Articles by John Egan

• Master-Planned Communities Embracing Next Generation of White-Labeled Mobile Apps
  Published on November 16, 2021 in Economy, Market & Trends
  One company is building mobile applications to bring a deeper sense of community and communication to master-planned communities.
• JLL Betting $100 Million on Global Growth of Proptech
  Published on September 01, 2021 in Economy, Market & Trends
  JLL’s 2021 Global Proptech Report identifies nearly 8,000 property technology companies around the world with a threefold increase over the past 10 years. But JLL is also betting on further growth in the space with with $100 venture capital fund of its own.
• New ULI Report Cites Data Analytics as Key Growth Area for Proptech
  Published on July 26, 2021 in Economy, Market & Trends
  Data analytics shines as the rising star of property technology (proptech) in the real estate industry, according to a report released by ULI and international law firm Goodwin Procter.
• Analyst: Shifts in Consumer Demand Related to Pandemic Could Have Lasting Effects
  Published on September 24, 2020 in Economy, Market & Trends
  ULI MEMBER-ONLY CONTENT: The tendency to isolate yourself from the outside world by sheltering at home could be an enduring effect of the coronavirus pandemic, Miki Tsusaka, managing director and senior partner in the Tokyo office of Boston Consulting Group, said in early September at ULI Asia Pacific’s REImagine conference.
• Bulking Up on New-Economy Assets: Data Centers and Logistics Facilities in Vogue with Asia’s Investors
  Published on September 23, 2020 in Capital Markets
  Global growth in e-commerce spurred by the coronavirus pandemic is boosting investor interest in a “new economy” asset class dominated by data centers and logistics facilities, speakers said in early September at a session during the ULI Asia Pacific REImagine conference.
• HSBC Economist Sees Stronger Outlook for China through 2022
  Published on September 21, 2020 in Capital Markets
  ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: Every major global economy except Mainland China will see a decline in growth this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Janet Henry, chief global economist at HSBC, as part of ULI's REImagine event.
• Maintaining the Elements of Fun, Health, and Safety in Urban Design
  Published on September 21, 2020 in Planning & Design
  As urban spaces grapple with a global pandemic, designers should embrace the notion that safe places need not be clinical spaces, said urban strategist Barrie Barton during a keynote speech in early September at the ULI Asia Pacific REImagine conference, highlighting a hospital and an office tower in the region with nontraditional design touches.
• New World Development Betting Big on China’s Emerging Greater Bay Area
  Published on September 14, 2020 in Asia Pacific
  ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: Hong Kong real estate developer Adrian Cheng is investing heavily in China’s emerging Greater Bay Area, touted as the up-and-coming Silicon Valley and Wall Street of the East. During ULI Asia Pacific’s virtual REimagine conference, Cheng said that his company now controls a land bank of about 290 hectares (nearly 717 acres) in the region.
• Accelerating the Demand for Proptech in the Asia Pacific Region
  Published on September 08, 2020 in Asia Pacific
  ULI MEMBER–ONLY CONTENT: The global COVID-19 pandemic promises to accelerate the adoption of property technology (proptech), which lies at the intersection of the roughly $230 trillion global property sector and the nearly $3.4 trillion global technology sector, speakers said in early September during the virtual ULI Asia Pacific REimagine conference.
• How the Private Sector Is Helping Mitigate Austin’s Homelessness Issues
  Published on March 09, 2020 in Economy, Market & Trends
  At a ULI Austin event, speakers said that government, nonprofit, and business initiatives are tackling Austin’s homelessness predicament by, among other things, proposing temporary structures known as Sprung shelters and seeking to convert motels into longer-term housing.
• More Direct Flights, Ease of Doing Business Could Attract Companies to San Antonio
  Published on January 14, 2020 in Economy, Market & Trends
  Panelists talked about how the San Antonio region is faring versus other cities in Texas in attracting talented workers and corporate office tenants and where it can improve compared with cities of a similar size.
• Large Projects Driving Optimism for Austin’s Prospects
  Published on October 14, 2019 in Development
  Austin, Texas, sits at the pinnacle of the U.S. commercial real estate sector right now, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate^® 2020. But recent economic wins like the planned $1 billion campus for Apple and the new headquarters of the U.S. Army’s modernization initiative should keep the city standing tall for years to come, said panelists speaking a ULI Austin event in October.
• Increasing Access to Biking and Walking Trails for All in Austin, Texas
  Published on September 12, 2019 in Planning & Design
  A robust public/private partnership could further enable a bike trail and pedestrian boardwalk that bridges the lingering cultural divide between the east and west sides of Austin, Texas, a ULI Advisory Services panel said in August.
• As Texas Grows, Large Employers Often Target Space outside CBDs
  Published on May 13, 2019 in Development
  As shown by high-profile developments in metro areas like Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas is redefining the notion of the central business district (CBD), said the president and chief executive officer of the Texas Economic Development Corp. speaking at the ULI Texas Forum in Austin. Companies will maintain urban footprints, he said, but a number of major employers in the Austin area are expanding away from the downtown.
• How Three San Antonio Companies Are Incorporating Sustainability Best Practices
  Published on March 01, 2019 in Inside ULI
  San Antonio’s office and residential developers are backing up their commitment to sustainability with innovative projects that are saving energy, water, and money. Executives from three companies described their efforts at the ULI San Antonio Sustainability Forum in February.
• Updating Floodplains to Reflect Heavier Recent Rainfall in Texas
  Published on January 07, 2019 in Sustainability
  A new definition of what constitutes a 100-year flood promises to alter how commercial and residential properties in Austin are built and protected, panelists said at a ULI Austin event in December. This effort arose from new data indicating that major storms in Texas dump more rain than had been previously estimated, with more than 2,000 buildings being added to the designated floodplain.
• Coworking Spaces Seen as Key Tenant for Houston Office
  Published on December 07, 2018 in Economy, Market & Trends
  Coworking reigns as a core strategy, rather than a craze, against the backdrop of commercial real estate evolving from a space-leasing business to a service-delivery business, said speakers at a ULI Houston luncheon in November.
• Pearl Mixed-Use Development: A San Antonio Gem
  Published on December 22, 2017 in Mixed-Use
  When three national magazines—U.S. News & World Report, Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure— give you glowing reviews, you must be doing something right. Such is the case with Hotel Emma, a 146-room luxury hotel that’s one of the numerous fascinating facets of San Antonio’s mixed-use Pearl complex, which rose from the historic but neglected Pearl Brewery.
• How Amazon’s Moves Could Affect Cities Like Austin
  Published on December 18, 2017 in Economy, Market & Trends
  The highly coveted second corporate headquarters of e-commerce giant Amazon.com would be a welcome addition to Austin, but the $5 billion project undoubtedly would produce more housing and transportation woes in one of the fastest-growing regions of the United States, said panelists at a ULI Austin event.
• In San Antonio, Two Former Military Installations March Ahead with Redevelopment
  Published on December 15, 2017 in Development
  San Antonio proudly waves the banner of Military City USA. In fact, the City of San Antonio recently secured a registered trademark for the Military City USA moniker and unveiled an accompanying logo that’s appropriately red, white and blue.
• Tighter Labor Markets, Higher Material Costs Could Follow Hurricane Season
  Published on November 13, 2017 in Development
  In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, development costs—not only up and down the Gulf Coast of Texas but also in areas that escaped the storm’s wrath—are poised to jump as builders grapple with a tighter labor market and higher material costs, according to speakers at a ULI Austin event in October.
• San Antonio Focusing on Revitalizing Downtown with Office, Residential, and Green Space
  Published on August 10, 2017 in Development
  Ten years ago, San Antonio’s bond program dedicated a mere $10 million to downtown improvements. By 2012, that number had jumped to $90 million, and the most recent bond initiative, passed in May, earmarks $170 million for downtown projects.
• How Food Fed the Vision for San Antonio’s Pearl Complex
  Published on July 24, 2017 in Development
  Once among San Antonio’s largest employers, the Pearl Brewery closed in 2001, and the surrounding area had been neglected as development focused on the suburbs. A local firm took a chance on converting the property into a mixed-use destination.
• As Austin Grows, Preserving a Live (and Lively) Music Scene
  Published on July 17, 2017 in Economy, Market & Trends
  Amid rising venue rents, housing affordability woes, and ever-present construction cranes in Austin, local music venues—and, therefore, local musicians—fear extinction.