Patricia Kirk

Patricia Kirk is a freelance writer based in Southern California.

As the recent cultural and real estate realignment called “The Great Mall Sorting” continues, A-plus malls are thriving, while the B and C properties are gradually being repurposed, reused, and completely rethought, according to architect Sean Slater, senior principal at the architectural firm RDC in San Diego.
Given a marked flight-to-quality and declining demand for office space overall, older office assets are increasingly being converted to other uses.
The Oregon Mass Timber Coalition was recently awarded a $41.4-million grant application led by the Port of Portland from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The grant will be used to expand the production and use of mass timber to address three significant issues across Oregon: the worsening housing shortage, the increasing threat of wildfires, and the creation of good-paying jobs in communities still recovering from the pandemic. Anyeley Hallová is one of ULI’s leaders in the Pacific Northwest helping to spread the adoption of mass-timber commercial buildings.
Pandemic travel bans shut down many old, obsolete hotels for good. Now, investors are creating new product—from temporary shelter to affordable and market-rate housing.
Mapping the future of real estate finds the industry taking a different path than in the past, with companies redesigning their business models around ESG goals.
To find new solutions, speakers at the 2022 ULI Europe Conference said that it is important to not only understand what’s driving housing unaffordability but also consider the mismatch between who has the power to deal with the problem and who has the mandate to deal with the problem.
Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo opened the 2022 ULI Europe Conference discussing the two crises impacting Europe: war on the European continent and the lingering global pandemic.
Like bookends, two major developments are transforming southern San Diego County’s city of Chula Vista on its most eastern and western fronts: the 535-acre (216 ha) Chula Vista Bayfront development on the San Diego Bay, and Otay Ranch, which will provide nearly 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) of master-planned, multiuse development, with a projected population of more than 110,000.
Like other business sectors, innovative technology is having a disruptive impact on building construction, operations, and management, according to speakers at a ULI San Diego/Tijuana event in March, who discussed new technology used to cut time for project due diligence; make cost estimates accurate and construction more precise; improve building operations and efficiency; and enhance tenant engagement, comfort, and satisfaction.
California lost 138,000 people to domestic migration in the 12 months ended in July 2017, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, with most of those departing being lower- and middle-income workers destined for Arizona, Texas, or Nevada. At a recent ULI San Diego/Tijuana event, land use experts discussed what is being done at the local, state, and federal levels to ease the cost of housing in California’s populous coastal areas.
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