Kevin Brass

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

800_usc_village_entrance
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
 • 
Kevin Brass
800-gettyimages-599906182
Development and Construction
//
Industrial
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
 • 
Kevin Brass
800_park_place
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
 • 
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
 • 
Kevin Brass
800_spheres
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
 • 
Kevin Brass
800_smartcities-2
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
 • 
Kevin Brass
619_urbanland_41997704138
Economy, Market & Trends
Former U.S. Vice President Biden: “I’ve Never Been More Optimistic”
Former vice president Joseph R. Biden Jr. sounded an optimistic note in his address to ULI Spring Meeting attendees in Seattle, showing some of the populist spirit that earned him the nickname “Uncle in Chief.”
May 4, 2017
 • 
Kevin Brass
500_apartment
Economy, Market & Trends
//
Industry Sectors
ULI Forecast Calls for Moderate Growth for Most U.S. Real Estate Sectors
While the growth of e-commerce and the shifting needs for open and smaller office spaces are having a marginal impact, most of these disruptive forces are still years away from having a substantive negative impact on the retail, office, and other industry sectors, said panelists discussing the latest ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast during a webinar.
April 21, 2017
 • 
Kevin Brass
picture-1-cover-photoweb
Resilience and Sustainability
//
Philanthropic Impact
Improving Seattle’s Lower Duwamish River Area
In 2015, ULI’s Advisory Services program convened a ULI resilience panel to study issues facing the area surrounding the Lower Duwamish Waterway, which is badly polluted with toxins and industrial waste and was identified in 2001 as a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Two years later, the cleanup of the river continues and there is renewed interest in addressing the community issues.
April 17, 2017
 • 
Kevin Brass
800-jakob-owens-127176
Economy, Market & Trends
//
Infrastructure
Understanding the Hurdles Facing Autonomous Vehicles in Busy Downtowns
Last December, car-sharing giant Uber abruptly loaded its prototype autonomous cars onto a trailer and moved its program from California to Arizona after a dispute with state regulators. If nothing else, the potential conflict over autonomous vehicles in California is a reminder that many complicated hurdles need to be cleared before the much-discussed takeover of autonomous cars. Communities and legislators are wrestling with the realities of regulating and creating infrastructure, even though it remains unclear what role driverless vehicles will play in future mobility.
February 27, 2017
 • 
Kevin Brass
Load More
Members Sign In
Don’t have an account yet? Sign up for a ULI guest account.
Forgot Password?