Kevin Brass

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

Development and Construction

Infrastructure

Integrating Affordable Housing into Plans for Transit-Oriented Development

Panelists at the ULI Los Angeles transit-oriented development event held in October agreed that affordable housing has moved to the top of the agenda for local agencies and planners. Traffic and walkability are still priorities, but affordable housing is the Holy Grail in the city.

October 12, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Design and Planning

Emerging Trends

How Los Angeles Is Planning for More Transit-Oriented Development

This session at ULI Los Angeles conference provided an unusual opportunity to hear two of L.A.’s key planners discuss their attitudes, priorities, and philosophies, and offered a glimpse into the future of L.A. development as they addressed the myriad issues facing the city.

October 12, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Infrastructure

Rerouting the Trinity River

Fort Worth’s bold plan of dredging channels and tearing down levies would enhance flood control, connect people with the waterfront—and double the amount of land in the city’s downtown.

October 3, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Industry Sectors

Dense, Walkable Urbanism Drawing Corporate Offices to Plano, Texas

One of the largest eat/work/ play/live developments in Texas, the $3 billion Legacy West project is attracting companies like Toyota, FedEx, JPMorgan Chase, and Liberty Mutual by focusing on the interests of generation X and millennial employees.

September 9, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Resilience and Sustainability

Before It Runs Off

With water becoming an increasingly valuable resource, more emphasis is being placed on capturing and retaining rainwater and graywater.

July 14, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Development and Construction

Hotels and Resorts

U.S. Hotel Industry Bracing for a Slower Year

After years of steady growth, the hotel industry is bracing for a tough year. “Growth and revenue are slowing down,” Bruce Baltin, managing director of CBRE Hotels, told executives and experts gathered for ULI’s “Hotel and Resort Development: Next Wave of Innovation” conference in La Costa, California, held in June. “It’s hit a peak. We think we’re at a plateau.”

June 29, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Property Types

Opportunity Zones

What’s Working and What’s Not as Generational Shift Hits Hospitality Sector

The long-predicted generational shift in the hotel industry is starting to happen, according to speakers at ULI’s recent “Hotel and Resort Development: Next Wave of Innovation” conference in La Costa, California. Baby boomers are growing older and millennials are developing as a buying group, forcing developers and operators to rethink developments. Everyone is racing to determine what works—and what doesn’t—as projects look to adjust to the latest trends, speakers said.

June 29, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Design and Planning

Emerging Trends

Demonstrating Healthy Corridors in Los Angeles’s Pacoima Neighborhood

After years of community conversations, planning, and stalled projects, the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacoima is getting closer to moving forward on a wide range of initiatives to bring new life to Van Nuys Boulevard, the area’s main thoroughfare.

June 14, 2016

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Kevin Brass

Design and Planning

Adding a Living Facade to a Dated Office Building in West Hollywood

The headquarters for IAC, a media company that owns Match.com and HomeAdvisor, was a bland, brick-tile structure built in West Hollywood during the 1980s, making any type of retrofitting a challenge. A refresh of the exterior added a five-story “living facade.”

April 5, 2016

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Kevin Brass