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Urban Land.- Reinventing Real Estate Page 3 of 5 <br />be the moment when real ch�an�ge in the buiilt environment is created., The in uistry has already developed <br />the tools and skills to create complex capital stacks and tech n�ologically sophisticate d buildings. It regularly <br />wrestles with complex site planr nr in�g chl allen�ges and even more complex operating agreements. Buit juisf as <br />importanr t as what the in uistry has learned to do is how markets are changing to leverage these increasingly <br />sophisticate d skills. <br />Demographic treads, not juisf govern�men�t policies, are shifting the in uistry 11 s energy to transit-focused and <br />walkable locations instead of the cheapest available sites at the edge of communities. Perceptions of statuis- <br />both by consurners and tenants -aura moving from trophy designs to smaller footprints, more environmentally <br />responsible operations, and healthier indoor en�viron�men�ts. Social e mitt', more broadly defined and <br />measurable than ever before, is being thouighl tfuilly incorporated and discussed as part of initial project <br />programming and capitalization rather than being negotiated du rin the public entitlement process. <br />The next 24 months provide the in�duistry with a strategic opportu�n�ity to buiild on what it does well, while <br />adding the additional skills needed to emerge from the downturn as a powerful force for solving many of <br />today 11 s most ch�allen�gin�g problems. No other in uistry has the collective capacity, problem - solving skills, and <br />ability to move others from pontification to execution. In uistry professionals muist be prepared to get the <br />next generation of development done right t when the market rebounds. <br />While similar predictions for change leave been hear d at the end of previous down�tuirn�s, there are three <br />reasons whey this time can be different: <br />The changing calculus of value. Buyers and tenants in the next cycle will be calcuilatin�g costs and <br />value in a more muiltidimen�sion�al way than ever before. Quality of life, walkability, access to cultural <br />facilities and events, a smaller environmental footprint, and even being part of the "urban vibe''' are <br />among a more complicated set of variables that will Delp uisers determine perceived value., <br />A leveling of the playing field. The cost differential for developing responsible real estate rather than <br />commodity real estate is real. It is not only abouit first costs, bust emotional and in�tellectuial investment <br />as well. To Delp move from policy to reality, a n�uimber of forward-th�in�kin�g government agencies are <br />bringing risk capital and know -how to the table to Delp level the playing field for developers who <br />choose to focuis on responsible rather than commodity real estate., <br />A movement from niche to portfolio. For years, green buiildin�g and socially responsible <br />development was the niche of a few forward-th�in�kin�g individuals. Today, responsible real estate <br />investment is rapidly moving inito the mainstream, finale d by in�stitultion�al investors who see green as a <br />proxy for increased long -term value-an in�suiran�ce policy against fuituire obsolescence, a sign of h�igh�er- <br />q�uiality con�struiction�, and a more holistic definition of their fiduciary responsibility. <br />The destruction of real estate valuies increasingly correlates with geography. The axiom of "location, <br />location, location�"' is taking on a new dimension becau se this past cycle demonstrated an increasing <br />relationship between loss of market value and the least environmentally responsible locations. The calculus <br />buiyers once mead to determine their h�ouisin�g choice -thee farther I drive the more s urre feet I can purchase- <br />h�as given way to a more complex analysis. The relationship between increased cost of place- h�o uisi n�g cost <br />pluis transportation burr en -has become more evident in an era puish�in�g toward $4-a-gallon gasoline., More <br />than juist dollars and cents, people are rethinking the time spent in their cars as a virtual tax on their uiality <br />of life or family time., <br />In Foreclosing the Dream, William Luicy 11 s 201 O chronicle of trends, demographic changes, and forecasts that <br />can be derived from the culrren�t h�ou�sin�g crisis, he writes, "'Hou seh�old spending on transportation averages <br />18 percent, bust varies by location�. Outer suburban residents average 25 percent of household income for <br />transportation, compared with only 9 percent for households in compact development settings.''' <br />Concentric rings circling major urban centers can be mead to illustrate measurable value losses based on <br />distance from the core. Almost everyone has a friend or relative in the suburbs whose home value has been <br />halved. As these homeowners consider fuituire puirch�asin�g decisions, the safety or volatility of their <br />investment is now another measure of value, perhaps more than granite couin�tertops and thiat extra <br />bedroom. Similarly, suburban office complexes, far from transit and centers of human activity, are some of <br />the most distressed asset types, either becauise of increased vacancy rates or loss of asset value., <br />http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewFreeUse.act?fuid=MTM4NzgOMTU�/�3D 09/14/201 1 <br />