Kevin Brass

KEVIN BRASS writes regularly about property and development for the New York Times International Edition and the Financial Times.

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Development and Construction

Economic Development

“Magic” Johnson Is Setting His Sights on Infrastructure Deals

NBA champion and dedicated urban developer Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. is targeting a new prize—infrastructure. “If you look at infrastructure in America, it’s old,” he told the audience at the 2017 ULI Fall Meeting.

October 26, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Resilience and Sustainability

Fall Meeting

Getting Cities Right

A diverse panel of property industry experts pushed back on a recent New York Timesarticle asking, “Why Can’t We Get Cities Right?” during a lively 2017 ULI Fall Meeting session.

October 25, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Design and Planning

Emerging Trends

City Resilience Officers, Developers Share Lessons from an Extreme Season

The hurricanes that ravaged the U.S. Southeast and the Caribbean and the fires raging through the Northwest have refocused and energized resilience discussions.

October 25, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Industry Voices

Architecture – Design

Frank Gehry: Architects Should Become Partners with Developers

Architects must take more responsibility for their work, legendary designer Frank Gehry told a general session audience Tuesday during the 2017 ULI Fall Meeting. Architects need to “get into the fray,” Gehry said.

October 24, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Fall Meeting

L.A. Developers Bullish on Their City, but Point to Oversupply

As ULI opened its 2017 Fall Meeting in Los Angeles, Robert Lowe, chairman and founder of Lowe Enterprises and the conference’s cochair, told attendees that the Los Angeles of today is much different than the L.A. that hosted ULI six years ago.

October 24, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Mixed-Use

Playa Vista: From Spruce Goose to Google

The enormous mixed-use development on Los Angeles’s Westside is a tech and media hub. After decades of debate and false starts, Playa Vista is now home to more than 10,000 people.

October 23, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Design and Planning

Fall Meeting

Vision for USC Village in Los Angeles More Than a Decade in the Making

Eleven years after a ULI panel examined the potential development of 15 acres (6 ha) controlled by the University of Southern California in south central Los Angeles, USC Village is a reality. The $700 million project, which opened in August, is a mix of housing for 2,500 students, classrooms, a dining hall, and a community-focused retail complex.

October 9, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Industrial Development

Despite Expanded Canal, Industrial Booms around Los Angeles

A year after the opening of the Panama Canal expansion, rents for industrial space around the Port of Los Angeles are at an all-time high and vacancy rates are hovering around 1 percent.

August 21, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Resilience and Sustainability

Industry Sectors

Seeing a Bright Future for Energy Storage

Commercial property owners are rethinking their skepticism toward energy storage systems, with battery prices dropping and third parties offering new financing models.

July 31, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Philanthropic Impact

Sustainable Philanthropy Means Asking Others for Help, Setting Limits

A panel discussion at the 2017 ULI Spring Meeting in Seattle focused on the challenges facing industry executives interested in taking a leadership role in philanthropy while continuing to run a business.

May 12, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Industry Sectors

Amazon and the Evolution of a Downtown Corporate Campus

Three of the primary participants in the creation of Amazon’s headquarters in downtown Seattle came together during the 2017 ULI Spring Meeting for a discussion of the long history.

May 12, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Economy, Market & Trends

Infrastructure

Targeted Use of Sensors Help Cities Track Impact of Traffic and Weather

The evolution of “smart” cities is about solving specific problems more than sweeping urban transformation, panelists emphasized during the 2017 ULI Spring Meeting. Targeted programs with clear benefits are defining smart cities, not the widespread embrace of new technology, they said. In Seattle, “smart” means expanding the network of low-cost sensors, which is allowing for adaptive traffic signals and detailed weather mapping that can track microclimates and rain surges.

May 10, 2017

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Kevin Brass

Urban Land Contributors