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The retail real estate market currently suffers from an oversupply of space—the result of overbuilding before the financial crisis struck in 2008—plus a dearth of retailers now willing and able to fill space. Consumer spending is down for the foreseeable future as the buying public remains wary of returning to the days of large credit-card debt. While welllocated retail destinations may continue to thrive and maintain national retailers, plenty of others are going to keep losing tenants. In this environment, town centers and mixed-use centers may have an edge over their mall counterparts.

It requires strong partnerships among school districts, the community, and developers to place improved schools at the heart of a new development.

Although video conferencing and other technological innovation has made it possible for economic activities to be dispersed, differences in growth rates, jobs, and incomes have increased, in recent decades, as regions in the Northwest and Midwest have lost population and regions in the South and West have experienced population, employment, and income growth. The negative effects of housing price increases in growing regions serve as a constraint to domestic migration and economic opportunities, especially for lower-skilled workers. In the long run, unaffordable housing prices contribute to unequal regional development and worsening income disparities. Job-rich regions need to encourage housing production.

Can the city create a healthier, less automobile-centric environment by closing more streets to traffic?

The following 10 projects—all completed in the past five years—not only revitalized deteriorating public parks but also transformed sites such as a former theme-park parking lot, a derelict sugar factory, and an abandoned rail line.

Make the most of your ULI membership in these uncertain times by leveraging your Institute network and accessing the wealth of member insights available, including these online resources.

To stay competitive in the global economy, the United States needs to focus on attracting and retaining a talented workforce by investing much more heavily in human capital, said Milken Foundation chairman Michael Milken during a keynote address at ULI’s 2011 Fall Meeting. Read what else he said about the importance of shifting national priorities—especially in light of other nations’ priorities.

This week, we review the “how much, how little, how big, how small” of the real estate capital markets for 2013; next week, we will examine the projections, climb out on a limb, and try to forecast what 2014 will look like.

Due to earthquakes, hurricanes, and vacation schedules, the Trepp LLC survey will not be updated until after Labor Day. An informal survey we conducted this week showed most borrowers and lenders waiting for things to “just settle down.” We understand some insurance companies are considering instituting “Floor Pricing” but we’ve seen no official policy statements so far.

The Commercial Mortgage Alert Trepp weekly survey of 15 active portfolio lenders remained unchanged over the past two-week period. All-in cost remains in the 5.00% to 5.50% range.