The U.S. hotel sector, now rebounding from the Great Recession, is on more solid footing thanks to a return to core real estate principles and conservative lending practices, creating the stability required to respond to changing customer values. Read about the trends in hotel development, possible changes driven by technology, and where the boutique hotels are leading the brand hospitality firms.
Competition for high-paying jobs has the film industry playing an ever-larger role in economic development in places other than California and New York. Forty U.S. states and most Canadian provinces now offer some type of tax credit for in-state production. And local governments are sweetening the pot with offers of free money, land, public financing, and other incentives.
Digital technology revolutionized the way entertainment professionals work, bringing about a convergence of media, entertainment, and technology that allows creative companies to downsize their workspace and locate wherever they please. Read about districts that are attracting entertainment firms with their interesting, edgy architecture and attractive lifestyle amenities and services.
Most economists agree that home sales will remain in a slump for at least the next few years, but demand for apartments is accelerating. This trend is expected to continue over the next decade, due largely to the echo boom generation’s (Echo Boomers) coming of age and entering the rental market.
Increasing concern about the impact of growth on climate change has prompted governments worldwide to implement policies and initiatives aimed at growing communities in climate-positive ways. Read how some local and state governments have taken on the heavy lifting involved in meeting this challenge.
To shift sustainable development to a new level, design professionals are turning to biomimicry, a way to understand and apply a particular location’s “genius of place” to designing buildings and communities. Find out how architectural-engineering firm HOK and the Montana-based Biomimicry Guild are using bio-inspired design adaptations in two new communities in a deciduous forest in India.
Growing consumer awareness of green building benefits is increasing demand for sustainable features—a trend that got a boost when California set zero-energy guidelines for new residential and commercial development of 2020 and 2030, respectively. Read how builders are offering new homes that produce as much energy as they use, at price points comparable to those for traditionally built homes.
The real estate bust left the nation’s urban landscape littered with deteriorating, unfinished projects. After sitting untouched, some failed projects are finally getting a second chance as banks begin offering them to investors at steep discounts to clear their books and replenish capital reserves. Read about important considerations for undertaking these projects and about some of the success stories.
