At last year’s Consumer Electronics Show, a unique fusion occurred: real estate, which ultimately is about presence, met phones and other devices that link people and places.

The desire of today’s creative class for connectivity, walkability and non-traditional live and work spaces is reshaping how designers, architects, and developers design homes and offices, says Christopher B. Leinberger, president of LOCUS, a real estate policy advocate for walkable and transit-oriented development.