Michele Lerner Photo.jpg

Michele Lerner

Michele Lerner is a freelance writer, editor, and author covering real estate, personal finance, and business topics for such publications as the Washington Post, USA Today, and others.

pres-5-1024---1200x600.gif
Development and Construction
//
Housing – Active Adult Senior and Retirement Communities
Creative Solutions for the “Forgotten Middle” in Senior Housing
Demand is surging for senior housing as America’s population ages, but supply continues to lag. That gap is one reason investors in ULI’s 2025 Emerging Trends report rated the sector second highest for the best risk-adjusted returns over the next three years. Supply and demand dynamics don’t tell the whole story, though: senior housing development tends to thrive at the upper end, where seniors with means can afford to live in a continuing care retirement community.
February 18, 2025
 • 
Michele Lerner
reinhard500.jpg
Philanthropic Impact
//
Leadership
Rick Reinhard Chosen as Winner of ULI’s Apgar Thought Leader Award
ULI has selected Rick Reinhard, principal of Niagara Consulting Group, as the recipient of the 2023–2024 ULI Apgar Thought Leader Award, which recognizes the authors of outstanding works written for Urban Land magazine.
December 2, 2024
 • 
Michele Lerner
Colorful,Vacant,Row,Houses,With,Do,Not,Enter,Symbols,For
Capital Markets and Finance
//
Affordable Housing
Rethinking How TIFs Work: Innovative Financing Tool Addresses Blight to Boost Affordable Housing
The city of Baltimore has approximately 13,000 abandoned houses and 20,000 vacant lots that create health, safety, and financial hazards for nearby properties. Although it might seem simple to fix and flip these homes, the math doesn’t easily compute.
September 6, 2024
 • 
Michele Lerner
Mithun_AtlassianAustin_3876.jpg
Design and Planning
//
Placemaking and Placekeeping
Redefining Third Spaces: Modern Approaches to Informal Urban Gathering Places
How urban planners are turning public places into vibrant centers for living, working, learning, and socializing.
July 24, 2024
 • 
Michele Lerner
DTLA-Residential-1200.jpg
Issues and Trends
//
Attainable Housing
Zoning Reforms to Mitigate America’s Affordable Housing Crisis
Cities facing affordable housing challenges are becoming more open to making zoning changes that affect density.
May 21, 2024
 • 
Michele Lerner
Unidentified,African,Refugee,Illegally,Painting,The,Façade,Of,A,Factory
Issues and Trends
//
Los Angeles
Tools to Eliminate Embodied Suffering from the Building Materials Supply Chain
The natural reaction to hearing that a product or material has been made with the assistance of modern slavery is to flinch in horror and perhaps disbelief. Unfortunately, the construction industry is ranked second—just behind domestic service—as a problematic industry in terms of its risk of relying on forced labor, according to the 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, Forced Labour and Forced Marriage report from the International Labour Organization in Geneva.
April 3, 2024
 • 
Michele Lerner
1064_mission_rendering_800
Economy, Market & Trends
//
Residential
Title V: Little-Known Government Program Could Provide Big Solution to Homeless Crisis
Developers, nonprofits, and advocates for homeless services believe that now is an ideal time to raise awareness of Title V.
October 10, 2023
 • 
Michele Lerner
ian-hutchinson-u8wfirpsq7y-unsplash-800
Economy, Market & Trends
Supreme Court Decision in Landmark Foreclosure Case
Property owners received new protection for their equity from a unanimous Supreme Court decision in the Tyler v. Hennepin County case in May. The decision affirms that owners must be reimbursed for any remaining equity after a property seizure to pay tax debts. The decision is likely to trigger new legislation in numerous states.
October 9, 2023
 • 
Michele Lerner
aer_areall_sky-amended-800
Resilience and Sustainability
Retrofitting vs. Replacing: Making the Case for Sustainable Improvements
Whether a simple energy efficiency upgrade or a larger overhaul is needed, retrofitting is becoming an important component of the real estate industry.
August 21, 2023
 • 
Michele Lerner
Members Sign In
Don’t have an account yet? Sign up for a ULI guest account.
Forgot Password?