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.

With no end in sight to the boom in urban and close-in suburban multifamily housing construction, developers are eager for ways to save money on ever-increasing land and construction costs. Experts speaking at the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting said that reducing parking requirements and increasing use wood-frame construction for buildings up to five stories could help keep costs in check.
Aging shopping malls—many burdened with high vacancy rates or even abandoned—are being transformed into vibrant, mixed-use destinations that are connected to their surrounding communities. At the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting, “the mall of the future” was explored by a panel of design, development, and placemaking experts.
While it is generally known that good schools enhance property values, it is not always clear how to improve an existing school system in a way that would benefit a community. Speakers at the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting described their approaches to adding value with stronger schools in both distressed urban neighborhoods and affluent greenfield developments.
Peter Kageyama, author of For the Love of Cities, brought his unconventional philosophy to the 2016 ULI Fall Meeting in Dallas as part of the Institute’s Changing World Speaker Series. “Emotions are contagious; when more people say they love their cities, more people will feel it and believe it,” said Kageyama.
Negotiators come out ahead by creating win-win deals that help build lasting relationships, said Ron Shapiro, speaking at this year’s ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Conference. Shapiro has previously worked as a top sports agent, lawyer, and businessman.
Everyone’s talking about “what’s next” in terms of emerging urban neighborhoods, where property values can surge very rapidly. But why do some districts emerge seemingly out of nowhere? How can developers and investors find the next one?
Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods—as are many other cities. But only Philadelphia can boast a human-scale walkable layout planned by William Penn more than three centuries ago.
U.S. retailers and their landlords are embracing the pop-up phenomenon in different ways to meet specific goals, speakers said at the ULI Spring Meeting in Philadelphia.
The United States is undergoing its worst housing affordability crisis in 45 years, said Ron Terwilliger, chairman of the ULI Terwilliger Center for Housing, at the 2016 ULI Spring Meeting in Philadelphia.
Newly confident and deep-pocketed consumers are driving vacation-home sales to levels that have not been seen in a decade, said panelists at the ULI Fall Meeting. But prices have not yet reached previous peaks, and buyers are increasingly cautious and cost-conscious.
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