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Ralph Bivins

Ralph Bivins is a freelance writer based in Houston. He is a prolific blogger and veteran journalist who covered real estate and economic development as a staffer at the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News for two decades. He is a past president of the National Association of Real Estate Editors. He blogs at RealtyNewsReport.com.

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Issues and Trends
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Austin
Fireside Chat with Ron Terwilliger, Former San Antonio Mayor Cisneros, Self-Dubbed ‘Housers’
AUSTIN—Despite rumblings to the contrary, the American dream of homeownership is not a fading relic from the nation’s Post World War II era. In fact, homeownership remains a key lever to elevate families from generational poverty to the middle class, according to two of the nation’s top leaders in the housing industry.
February 23, 2024
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Ralph Bivins
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Issues and Trends
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Austin
Steering Austin’s Phenomenal Growth Toward a Bright Future
AUSTIN—Austin, a tech hub that has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, has grown wider, longer, taller, and denser. And there’s hope that it may become more closely knitted together via an upcoming massive transportation project that could bring more cohesion between affluent areas and traditionally underserved neighborhoods.
February 22, 2024
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Ralph Bivins
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Affordable Housing
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Austin
ULI Housing Conference: The Unattainable American Dream
AUSTIN – The nation’s housing market may show a slight uptick this year, but for millions of Americans spanning the great gulf of home affordability will remain impossible, according to opening day speakers at the 2024 ULI Housing Opportunity Conference, which drew more than 500 attendees.
February 21, 2024
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Ralph Bivins
Development and Construction
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Property Management
Two North Dallas Suburbs Evolving Past Bedroom Communities
Growth pours north out of Dallas, the city nicknamed “the Big D,” and one result has been a boom in the suburb of Frisco, which earned the title of the nation’s fastest-growing city of the 2010s, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Frisco’s growth has spread to nearby Celina, which has grown 10x since 2010.
November 1, 2022
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Ralph Bivins
Development and Construction
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Fall Meeting
No End in Sight for Growth in the Texas Triangle
The Dallas/Fort Worth metro area is rising on powerful growth that will lift it past Chicago to become the third-largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation, experts said during a session at the ULI Fall Meeting in Dallas.
October 28, 2022
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Ralph Bivins
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Capital Markets and Finance
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Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Inequities in Appraisals Harm Communities of Color, Speakers Say
Communities of color struggle to thrive in part because real estate appraisals are marred by racial bias, ossified methodology, and industry practices, according to an expert panel at ULI’s Fall Meeting in Dallas.
October 26, 2022
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Ralph Bivins
Issues and Trends
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Residential
Repurposing Underused Golf Courses and Retail Centers to Fill Affordability Gaps in Housing
Solutions are slowly emerging as builders attempt to deliver housing that meets the strong demand from middle-class Americans who struggle to afford a home purchase, according to panelists gathered at a ULI housing conference in February.
May 11, 2020
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Ralph Bivins
Issues and Trends
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News
Searching for Answers and Innovations in the Changing Housing Market
The future of housing is being influenced by evolving demographics, increased urbanization, higher construction costs, and financially constrained consumers who nonetheless demand meaningful, walkable communities, said panelists at the 2020 ULI Housing Conference in Miami. A shower of innovation rains down on the housing designers and builders who sort through options that include prefabricated homes, modular building components, and low-carbon technologies that support sustainable development goals.
April 27, 2020
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Ralph Bivins
Development and Construction
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Fall Meeting
Mayor Bowser Seeks to Create 36,000 New Housing Units in Washington, D.C.
Using available land is a key strategy for filling the District of Columbia’s need for affordable housing units, Mayor Muriel Bowser said at ULI’s Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. Bowser recently articulated her vision to construct 36,000 additional housing units in the District by 2025.
September 20, 2019
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Ralph Bivins
Design and Planning
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Fall Meeting
Competition for Talented Employees Requires Design of Excellent Office Environments
The business performance of the organizations that occupy the nation’s office towers is increasingly supported by building design that creates excellent employee experiences and work environments. Office buildings must evolve to meet the current demands of the new workplace, according to panelists discussing the future of work at the Fall Meeting.
September 20, 2019
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Ralph Bivins
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