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.

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At the 2011 ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing Awards Gala, held September 21, 2011, in Washington, D.C., a ceremony honoring former HUD Secretary Henry G. Cisneros as a “transformational leader” also included the presentation of two prestigious awards: the Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Awards and the Robert C. Larson Workforce Housing Public Policy Award.
The United States faces a tidal wave of rental housing demand—a fact that Congress does not understand, said J. Ronald Terwilliger at the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing Policy Symposium, held on September 21, 2011, at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the Collingwood Group, the sponsor. But demand is just part of the problem; affordability, he said, is another issue.
The federal government subsidizes housing to the tune of over $200 billion per year, with the mortgage interest deduction alone accounting for much of that, said panelists at the ULI Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing’s Policy Symposium, held September 21, 2011, at the Washington, D.C., office of the Collingwood Group. This, they agreed, is on the deficit reduction chopping block.
In a new study, the Brookings Institution found that while 70 percent of Americans—and nearly 90 percent of lower-income Americans—have access to public transit, most cannot use it to get to their jobs. Nonetheless, the percentage of Americans who commute to work using public transit grew during the 2000s. Read how rising gas prices and changing demographics may land America in “a transit moment.”
“In the U.S., we are spending only half the amount that needs to be spent on infrastructure,” says Maureen McAvey, executive vice president of ULI, echoing the conclusion of a new study by ULI and Ernst & Young titled “Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority.” Read why the United States is falling far behind emerging markets when it comes to fulfilling infrastructure agendas.
Laws and regulations affect all types of real estate in all markets, but perhaps nowhere more profoundly than in the nation’s capital. For this reason, federal rules and regulations for leased facilities are watched closely by private sector owners and developers of office space. Read what a panel of industry insiders at the recent ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Conference had to say about this topic.
According to multifamily industry leaders who spoke at the recent ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Conference, the multifamily housing market in Washington, D.C., and other top markets is so rich with investment opportunity that “there are no bad strategies right now.” Read what types of multifamily communities and developments the panel said are achieving market acceptance at present.
Everyone knows the role the federal government plays in the D.C. area’s enduring economic strength, but fewer people realize that educational and medical facilities are playing an increasingly dominant role in the regional and national economy. Read what participants in the “Eds and Meds” panel at ULI Washington’s Real Estate Trends Conference said in regard to developing property for this sector.
Washington, D.C., is not only the capital of the United States, but also the darling of the capital markets, with real estate that is “close to fully priced,” said Greg Vorwaller, head of global capital markets for Cushman & Wakefield, at ULI Washington’s annual Real Estate Trends Conference. But how long will the good times roll?
Commercial mortgage–backed securities (CMBS)—pools of real estate loans bundled and sold to investors—are back, say attendees at the CRE Finance Council’s recent conference in Washington, D.C. Read what they said about “CMBS 2.0,” the more “prudent lending environment” driven both by new regulatory scrutiny and by the market, and what the revival of CMBS means for the real estate industry.
Though U.S. commercial real estate markets are recovering from the Great Recession, debt financing has become more difficult to find. A recent ULI workshop held in Washington, D.C., helped participants gain an understanding of private equity, which has assumed a more prominent position in the capital stack. Find out what equity providers are now targeting and what advice they gave attendees.
National and regional housing policy leaders gathered recently in the nation’s quintessential “edge city,” Tysons Corner, Virginia, to discuss why it’s so important to include workforce housing in a planned transformation of a sprawling suburban office park to a walkable, green urban center. Read what ULI members and other experts say about the need for, and ability to, include workforce housing in this particular project and nationally.
Urban Land Contributors