Leslie Braunstein

Leslie A. Braunstein, APR, is principal of LHB Communications, Inc., a boutique public relations firm located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. LHB combines the flexibility, creativity, and cost-effectiveness of a small PR firm with the solid experience and outstanding results of a large PR agency. The mission of LHB Communications is to help clients meet their business goals by building their brands and enhancing awareness of their accomplishments among key stakeholders and audiences. Leslie is a seasoned award-winning PR professional with over 25 years of experience working with real estate industry clients and others in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, throughout North America, and abroad. Leslie holds professional accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland’s College of Journalism. On behalf of clients and under her own byline, Leslie has published millions of words in a variety of prestigious media including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, numerous trade publications, and many other well-known publications and online media. Earlier in her career, Leslie served as served as a public information officer with the U.S. Department of Energy and as a communications manager with Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. For more information, see www.lhbcommunications.com.

Using a facilitated conversation format honed at previous ULI meetings, the “fishbowl” at ULI’s Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C., brought together 12 experts to discuss the natural tension between cities’ need to encourage housing and economic development—and the community backlash that often results from specific proposals.
A ULI Fall Meeting session explored new ways of activating social nodes in urban spaces, using experiential design to allow cities’ social infrastructure to evolve. These new “nodes” include ever-evolving urban markets, multifunctional libraries, and even bank cafés.
Over the past two decades, Washington, D.C., has undergone rapid revitalization, attracting more than 120,000 new residents and billions of dollars in private and public investment.
Amazon’s choice to locate a second headquarters in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area is highlighting the region’s need to provide an ever-increasing number of educated workers to fill new technology jobs each year. While many groups are working to address this issue, the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP) has launched a well-funded effort to “create impact at scale.” GWP’s Capital CoLAB—which stands for Collaborative of Leaders in Academia and Business—is moving quickly to carry out its mission and already has garnered more than $6 million in grants.
Though Washington, D.C., has seen significant growth in multifamily development in the past decade, neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes could also benefit from increased density. In addition, the District itself could benefit from the creation of more affordable housing close to transit and employers. That is one reason why ULI convened a nationwide team of experts to devise strategies for bringing affordable housing to one of the Washington’s toniest planning districts.
Flush from Amazon’s selection of Arlington County, Virginia, for a new headquarters facility, three “titans” of the real estate scene in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region took a moment to celebrate at the ULI Washington Trends Conference. To put all of this into perspective were John “Chip” Akridge III, founder and chairman of Akridge; Thomas “Tom” Bozzuto, chairman and cofounder of the Bozzuto Group; and Bryant Foulger, chairman of Foulger-Pratt.
Millennials living in the nation’s capital and its close-in suburbs can be characterized as “committed urbanists,” according to a just-released ULI Washington survey. This new study, which updated a 2015 survey, included more households with children—an increase from 12 to 20 percent. Almost half (49 percent) of respondents are married or partnered—up from 39 percent in 2015. Homeownership has increased from 28 to 33 percent. And median income has increased over 11 percent, exceeding the national growth rate.
Though e-commerce has not signed the death warrant for brick-and-mortar retail, the retail landscape varies vastly by sector and market—even by block in urban settings—and landlords must be more flexible than ever, said panelists speaking at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting.
Crowdfunding has captured the imagination—and money—of investors throughout the United States. While it is used for everything from charitable campaigns to launching startup businesses or paying legal fees, commercial real estate may be the largest online investment opportunity for crowdfunding to date, according to a panel at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.
In an emerging “gig” economy, with each individual developing his or own brand, does leadership still matter? At the ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, Ralph Boyd, ULI senior resident leadership fellow, moderated a panel of industry notables discussing the critical importance of leadership.
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