Interesting Quotes
Posted: April 9, 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: needs, planner, Planning, public, space Leave a comment »“Rational planners have been obsessed with controlling how and when and which people use public as well as private space. Meanwhile, ordinary people continue to find creative ways of appropriating spaces and creating places, in spite of planning, to fulfill their desires as well as their needs, to tend the spirit as well as take care of the rent.” – Sandercock, L. Toward Cosmopolis: Utopia as construction site. In Readings in planning theory
“Abu Dhabi 2030″
Posted: October 14, 2012 Filed under: Comprehensive Planning, Environment, Housing, Planning, Sustainable Development, Transportation, Urban and Regional Design | Tags: Abu Dhabi 2030, Middle East, Plan, Planning, Population, Transportation, Urban Design, Urban Planning Leave a comment »Currently the city of Abu Dhabi has a population of 1 million. By the time of 2030, the figure will rise to 3 million. What will the urban planning department deal with such a large population, and guide the city towards sustainability? This short video will tell you.
Land Development – Financial Institutions and Analysis
Posted: October 7, 2012 Filed under: Real Estate Development | Tags: Capital Market, Land Development, Planning, Property, Real Estate Development Leave a comment »-
What Are Capital Markets and How do They Work?
Real Estate competes with other investments on a risk/return basis.
Debt ranges from 0-100%, and normally 50-80%; equity ranges from 20-50%.
Debt is repaid from project proceeds before equity.
-
Four Types of Real Estate Investments
| Public | Private | |
| Equity | Equity REIT | Individuals |
| Debt | Mortgage REIT | Banks |
Real Estate Development Drivers, Risks, and Risk Mitigation
Posted: September 3, 2012 Filed under: Land Use Development, Planning, Real Estate Development | Tags: Drivers, Land Use, Land Use Development, Real Estate Development, Risk Leave a comment »-
Real Estate Development Drivers
DEMAND FACTORS:
Housing (retail): demolitions, population growth, reduction of household size, shifting of household type toward non-family, increase proportion of middle-age and seniors, etc.
Commercial and Industrial: employment growth, etc.
SUPPLY FACTORS:
increase of land prices and supplies, increase of material prices, reduction of mortgage rates, increase of labor costs, etc.
OTHER FACTORS:
Cultural values and attitudes, infrastructure, etc.
-
Mega Trends
High housing vacancy
Rapid growth of seniors
Flat per capita income growth
Potential post-recession surges in employment and housing starts
Fastest growth in medical, office and educational occupations
Job leadership by small establishments
Strong inflation in steel prices
Urban Design Case Study – Laguna West, Sacramento County, California
Posted: August 27, 2012 Filed under: Case Study, Community Design, Community Planning, Planning, Sustainable Development, Urban and Regional Design Leave a comment »Laguna West occupies an area of 1,045 acres. It is the first application of Calthorpe’s Transit-Oriented Development principles, which is now embraced in the general plan for Sacramento.
Design Features:
- Pedestrian friendly neighborhoods that encourage walking
- A town center
- A nature/riparian zone
Real Estate Development Process and Major Players
Posted: August 26, 2012 Filed under: Land Use Development, Planning, Real Estate Development | Tags: Community Design, Land Use, Land Use Development, Private Sector, Public Sector, Real Estate Development Leave a comment »“[...] developers must understand the users and their needs. Without users, buildings – no matter how aesthetically pleasing or how theoretically functional – have no value.”
-
What is Real Estate Development/Land Development?
Real estate development is the continual reconfiguration of the built environment to meet society’s needs.
-
The 8 Stages Non-linear Process of Real Estate Development
Inception of an Idea: market research, problem solving, creating
Refinement of the Idea: site selection, project design
Feasibility: public and private review
Contract Negotiation: contractors, tenants, regulators
Formal Commitment: contracts and entitlements
Construction: building
Completion and Formal Opening: marketing , sales
Property, Asset, and Portfolio Management” tenants and technology
Urban Design Case Study – Seaside, Walton County, Floride
Posted: August 25, 2012 Filed under: Community Design, Community Planning, Housing, Planning, Urban and Regional Design | Tags: Beach, Florida, Form-based Codes, New Urbanism, Seaside, Urbanism Leave a comment »Seven decades ago, when the grandfather of Robert S. Davis purchased this 80 acres of land along the shore of Northwest Florida, he may not imagined that his land had become a dream of many urbanists and architects.
But now, Seaside, Florida is in slides of many lecture class in architecture schools, with the pictures of Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-zyberk. Designers describe it as recreating traditional neighborhood of 1920s. “Old way, new town.” As the principal designers, Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-zyberk pursued an overriding goal, which was fostering a strong sense of community.
