The commercial real estate sector is poised to undergo a radical technological transformation in which it will be as quick and easy to buy or sell a home as it is to order a new iPhone, in which blockchain and digital tokens will allow commercial real estate assets to be split into tiny shares that can be easily traded, and in which construction companies will deploy autonomous bulldozers to grade sites and make up for a shortage of skilled labor. Those were just some of the transformative innovations described by venture capitalist Brad Greiwe in a session on technological change at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

The presence of a talented workforce and economic diversity are the main characteristics of this year’s top cities in the latest version of the ULI/PwC report.

During a discussion about public/private partnerships (PPPs or P3s) at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, panelists explored what types of infrastructure projects are likely to be best suited for the innovative tool in which public agencies can facilitate desired projects while shifting much of the development, financing, operating responsibility, and risk to private developers.

Addressing the lack of affordable housing for the middle class is one of the biggest opportunities—and sources of frustration—for homebuilders, according to a panel of industry executives speaking during the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

Crowdfunding has captured the imagination—and money—of investors throughout the United States. While it is used for everything from charitable campaigns to launching startup businesses or paying legal fees, commercial real estate may be the largest online investment opportunity for crowdfunding to date, according to a panel at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

Technological innovations ranging from sophisticated sensors to algorithms that sift through mountains of operational data to extract new insights are taking hold across the commercial real estate sector. But it is crucial to avoid becoming distracted by the allure of innovation for its own sake, and concentrate on how to assimilate advances in a way that generates value for companies and their clients, according to panelists at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

Over the last decade, the remaking of urban districts around the United States has often led to significant neighborhood upheaval. But developers, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies are placing increasing emphasis on building equitable outcomes into development and renewal, and officials from two organizations at the forefront of that effort shared their experiences at the 2018 ULI Fall Meeting in Boston.

In an emerging “gig” economy, with each individual developing his or own brand, does leadership still matter? At the ULI Fall Meeting in Boston, Ralph Boyd, ULI senior resident leadership fellow, moderated a panel of industry notables discussing the critical importance of leadership.

Speaking at the ULI Fall Meeting, panelists said that even as experimentation with blockchain continues “fiercely,” the business world is now taking a tougher look at blockchain applications and asking why so few proofs of concept have made it to the commercial phase. That scrutiny ultimately could lead to better, more useful applications.

At the 2018 Fall Meeting in Boston, Mayor Martin Walsh called on developers and other real estate professionals to help the city and state move housing and infrastructure initiatives forward.