Ron Nyren author photo by David Wakely.jpg

Ron Nyren

Ron Nyren is a freelance architecture, urban planning, and real estate writer based in the San Francisco Bay area.

How can developers create vibrant places that bring people together to live, work, play, and hang out? Members of ULI’s new Placemaking Council discuss the value of bringing the notion of placemaking to development, the strategies for setting up placemaking projects that will thrive, the obstacles that can get in the way of success, common misperceptions about placemaking, and related trends.
The following 10 projects—all completed in the past five years—not only revitalized deteriorating public parks but also transformed sites such as a former theme-park parking lot, a derelict sugar factory, and an abandoned rail line.
How is the sharing economy shaking up the real estate industry?
Ten projects create synergy among different uses.
Ten projects enhance buildings with technologies that add versatility and conserve resources.
Members of ULI’s new Technology and Real Estate Council discuss the disruptive effects of technologies on the real estate industry, the challenges of using “big data” effectively, and the technological applications under development for real estate.
The ten firms profiled here, led by principals in their 30s and 40s, show inventive yet context-sensitive design solutions that engage with their surroundings.
Experts in hotel development discuss the rising popularity of social spaces in hotels, the role of technology in the hotel experience, the ways guests are shaping in-room furniture design, the competition from Airbnb, the need for “Instagrammable” spaces in hotels, and changing approaches to hotel restaurants.
The following ten projects—all built during the past five years—showcase a variety of design strategies that make inventive use of their project budgets, including a textile mill adapted to serve as apartments and supportive housing for military veterans.
How can the real estate industry do a better job of meeting the needs of middle-income renters and buyers?
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