Built in 1931, the 102-story Empire State Building is undergoing a retrofit that will make it one of the greenest structures in New York when completed in two years. Read Anthony E. Malkin explain the decision to create a window refurbishing facility onsite and how the eight steps taken in the retrofit will reduce energy use by 38 percent, save $4.4 million annually, and avoid 105,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the next 15 years—all without creating tons of waste for landfills.

In the wake of the financial crisis, there has been some recent discussion of the role of real estate financial markets in contributing to the crisis. Jeremy Newsum, ULI chairman, has some pointed criticisms of closed-end funds. Simon Treacy, Group CEO of MPGA, and a ULI member, offers his views on the topic of closed-end funds and their role in providing investors access to otherwise inaccessible markets.

When Michelle Obama recently announced that Charlotte would host the 2012 Democratic National Convention, she also expressed praise for North Carolina’s largest municipality—and the country’s second-largest banking center by assets. Discover what assets and characteristics are driving corporations like Electrolux, Siemens, and Husqvarna to relocate to this burgeoning “New South” city.

Commercial real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis forecasts the U.S. office market to have a “half-speed recovery” this year, according to the company’s 2011 Real Estate Forecast, released in January. Vacancy rates will drop from 2010’s 17.8% to 17%, net absorption will increase by 35 million square feet and Class A rents will rise by 0.4%. How do these improvements compare to the pace of typical economic recovery or growth cycles?

Thanks to their diversified economy, Minnesota’s Twin Cities’ real estate activity is picking up. Minneapolis-based firms such as 3M, Target, Cargill and Carlson Companies as well as government and healthcare are starting to drive job growth. Read what Michael Lander, president of Minneapolis-based Lander Group, and a member of the ULI Advisory Council, and others have to say about the Twin Cities’ economy and real estate activity.

The problem: The value of the 629,000-square-foot, 34-story Phoenix Tower in Houston was declining. Energy costs were rising alarmingly. The solution: Extensive retrofits that increased the value of the property. Read about the savings and the results that were achieved through a retrofit approach by Franklin Street Properties Corp. and Hines that can be a blueprint for owners, developers and asset managers.

Initial signs of a turnaround are beginning to appear in the U.S. office market. The national office vacancy rate dropped during 2010’s third quarter for the first time since 2007. The upshot for ULI members is that the overall recovery in the U.S. office market is expected to be slow and long. Here are lists of major metros with the best year-to-date net absorption in downtown and suburban Class A office space.

Several hundred real estate professionals recently gathered at a Sustainability Summit in Washington, D.C., to hear Washington-area experts discuss the current and future status of sustainable development. Read what the experts had to say about where we’ve come, where the future is with USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and the current rollout of LEED 2012 for its first public comment process.

Many holders of commercial property loans made from 2000 through 2007 will not be able to pay on time when their loans come due in the next few years. Borrowers will simply be unable to raise enough additional equity capital to make such payments. Learn about the five potential sources of equity for commercial loans coming due and which is most likely to fill the equity gap.

America’s obsession with social networking on sites such as Facebook and its fascination with new technology are spurring one of the hottest trends in the real estate industry today: construction of data centers. Increased demand has also been noted by Doug Hollidge, CEO of Charlotte, North Carolina–based Five 9s Digital. Read about where this development is happening and read advice for those considering development of data centers.