In the new China, demand for housing for seniors is real. The country’s rapid urbanization is affecting China’s centuries-old tradition of multigenerational living, says Harvard’s Nicolas P. Retsinas.

The Mid-Atlantic region and the Carolinas are reporting steady real estate activity across real estate markets including hospitality, multi-family, mixed-use, health care, industrial, commercial and infrastructure. While the activity is at a slower rate than in the past, it is beyond what many other areas of the country are experiencing. Experts see developers aligning themselves for new projects in the not-too-distant future.

Learn how ten developers of affordable housing take creative design approaches to providing appealing environments and sustainability while controlling costs.

Known as the Duke of Art Deco, Dave Goldstein has made a profitable business out of his hobby of restoring vintage apartment buildings. They now draw above-market rents, which is helping stabilize values in neighborhoods where film stars and future presidents once dwelled.

With consumers demanding more sustainability in their living environments, how can homeowners association covenants be drafted in a way that supports their efforts?

See what one man, the 2004 laureate of the J.C. Nichols Prize for Visionaries in Urban Development, was able to accomplish through his commitment to developing mixed-income communities in central cities prone to decline and disinvestment.

The 2012 Summer Olympics will ensure that a formerly run-down part of east London will be in the global spotlight come the start of the Games in July. But the site in Stratford has already made real estate history.

In a world that Confucius wouldn’t recognize, China is working to maintain the dignity of its elders, who increasingly are ending up in a heretofore rare facility: a retirement home.

Part 2: The Cities:From 2000 to 2010, the U.S. senior population grew 20 percent, but this growth has not been evenly distributed around the country. And given the uncertain economy, future trends are hard to predict.

In many suburbs, libraries were originally placed in parks—but urbanizing suburbs are finding that relocating libraries can increase foot traffic in commercial areas and create a sense of place.