The Commercial Mortgage Alert Trepp weekly survey of 15 active portfolio lenders remained unchanged during the most recent survey period with financing available in the 5 percent +/- range. The Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick-Goldman Survey for the period ended July 7 showed fixed and floating rate spreads remaining unchanged in most property sectors during the survey period with financing remaining available at attractive and affordable rates.

Dramatic urban design strategies, such as iconic cultural buildings, are beyond the reach of most cities. Successful urban revitalization depends on far more than a single, shining idea. What works in communities large and small are cultural and entertainment districts. Read how cities like Los Angeles, New York City, and Philadelphia are applying that lesson.

Baby boomers are leading a wave of senior population growth that is spreading well beyond the traditional retirement magnet states of Florida and Arizona. According to a new 2010 census report from the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., 32 metro areas increased their senior populations by more than 25 percent during the decade of the 2000s. Read more to learn which cities are benefiting from growth in both senior and presenior populations.

Though Hollywood, California, is arguably one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world, one thing it is not known for is its park space. Instead, it is known for the Hollywood Freeway, a busy expressway traversing the community as one segment of U.S. Route 101. Read about the myriad benefits a proposed billion-dollar cap park over the freeway trench would bring to the city.

Experts see the near-term prospects for retail development and financing as healthier than expected. Larger national tenants are looking to expand into more markets and infill locations, while urban community-oriented retailers are studying smaller formats that are able to adapt rapidly. Read about these responses to shifting needs, as well as others in the areas of green incentives and urban development.

In Texas, the tide is turning against big road projects located on the suburban fringe. In Dallas–Fort Worth, projections show both diminishing federal, state, and local revenues and a growing, changing population. Read what Mobility 2035, the regional transportation plan, lays out for the area’s resources, priorities, and policies for the next two decades.

It is the way that cities celebrate and showcase assets such as parks, culture and the arts, and safe neighborhoods that will determine the vibrancy of a community. Those communities that build partnerships to shape their response to these changes will be those that become successful 21st-century cities. Learn the three assumptions that successful cities will build on.

The ULI Real Estate Finance and Investment 2011: New Directions, New Connections Conference—held June 22–23, 2011, in New York City—focused on investing, accessing, lending, and sourcing capital. In attendance was Steve Blank, senior fellow, finance, who overheard things shocking and predictable—and reminiscent of the boom years. Read more to learn the data and insights that participants shared.

In Northwest Indiana, restructuring has shrunk industry’s environmental footprint. In the 1980s, area leaders began to recognize the valuable asset in their midst—Lake Michigan and its shoreline. Read how five diverse cities spread across two counties are acting as one to recapture and preserve the lakeshore for open public use while capitalizing on its potential for economic development.

Despite the considerable amount of private equity capital held by opportunity funds, institutional investors, foreign entities, REITs, and high-net-worth investors, all parties appear to be sticking with core assets instead of broadening their investment horizons, say panelists at a recent ULI capital markets conference in New York City. Learn what advice they have for investors in 2011.