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A debate is taking place right now on how best to protect and preserve one of America’s national treasures, the National Mall, and ensure that it remains what Pierre L’Enfant first imagined it to be—an open space featuring statues and memorials to honor worthy citizens. Should we revisit the 1901 McMillan Plan or begin anew?

The real estate sector should prepare for a rapidly escalating onslaught of online attacks by hackers employed by organized crime.

Themes of identity, governmental responsibility, and local empowerment in cities were discussed by a small group of experts during a May 20 webinar hosted by ULI Asia Pacific. While the discussion leaders each offered their own talking points, all agreed that governance and design play crucial roles in the establishment of a modern community.

Two new ULI reports provide possibilities for expanding and enhancing parks through collaborative partnerships and the transformation of spaces for cars into places for people. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of community outdoor spaces. Parks, trails, streets closed to automobiles, and public plazas have been some of the only places that have allowed people to maintain physical distance while still being able to exercise, relax, play, gather in small groups, or make short trips safely—crucial activities for lowering stress levels, reducing symptoms of depression, and maintaining physical health.

News of plunging February housing starts in the United States prompts a look at timber real estate investment trusts (REITs). Timber REIT performance is closely tied to timber production and prices, as well as to construction and exports. Plus, interest rate survey results from Trepp.

This 44-unit residential rehab, financed by three mission-driven lenders, preserved workforce/affordable homes and reduced neighborhood crime—and meets nearly all its annual electric demand with on-site solar power.

It has been reported by the Wall Street Journaland others that Hyatt is in talks to buy hotel operator Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. While neither company is a real estate investment trust, the potential transaction is emblematic of what is happening in the sector, where hotel REITs that are trading below the value of their underlying assets are creating an opportunity for mergers, acquisitions, and buybacks. Plus, interest rate survey results from Trepp.

The recent $12.8 billion bid by Anbang Insurance for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, even if it proves to be unsuccessful, highlights the ongoing flow of international capital into the U.S. real estate market. Changes adopted in late 2015 to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) are expected to bring additional overseas money to the United States, with foreign pension funds now exempted from FIRPTA tax and withholding. Plus, interest rate survey data from Trepp.

Is increased construction good or bad for apartment real estate investment trusts (REITs)? This question took center stage last week with the release of May data on multifamily completions and permit activity by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Plus, interest rate survey results from Trepp.

Many gambling stocks are losing value and weighed down by debt, with limited options for new financing. To date, one gaming company has formed a REIT that is growing through acquisitions, and several others are considering similar moves to unlock value and boost their stock prices. Plus, interest rate survey results from Trepp.