Time for a Resurgence of Rental Apartments in Toronto

Introduction Fig 1. Rendering of “The #Unignorable Tower.” Photo Credit: United Way Greater Toronto & Norm Li (Li, 2019) As it rises to become a formidable economy, Toronto faces a crucial time in its history.  The problems of housing shortage and affordability have persisted in the past, but are now even more prevalent as the… Continue Reading Time for a Resurgence of Rental Apartments in Toronto

Construction Costs: On the Rise

The commercial real estate industry is currently riding the wave of the 11th year of its cycle, interest rates are continually getting cut, money is cheap to borrow, and cities are sprawling at a booming rate. With the recent appearance of traditional recessionary indicators, many cautiously optimistic professionals in the industry are wondering what may… Continue Reading Construction Costs: On the Rise

Student Housing in India – The Next Big Thing?

India, a country with one of the largest steadily growing economies in the world, is home to the second-largest student population pursuing post-secondary education.  The current gross enrollment ratio (GER) in post-secondary education is 26.3% (Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2019).  In addition, the Indian government has set a target to enroll 30% of the… Continue Reading Student Housing in India – The Next Big Thing?

Tokenized Real Estate: Creating New Investing and Financing Channels Through Blockchain

In 2018, New York City-based asset management firm Elevated Returns completed a tokenized real estate offering for $18 million on the Ethereum blockchain. The asset was the St. Regis Resort in Aspen, Colorado. The high-profile property and the employment of an unusual fundraising method caught the attention of investors, fintech enthusiasts and blockchain communities. Not… Continue Reading Tokenized Real Estate: Creating New Investing and Financing Channels Through Blockchain

The Need for Land Value Capture in Infrastructure: The Case of the Tappan Zee Bridge

Public infrastructure has long been financed through direct government budgetary appropriation, grants, and government borrowing.  The long-term debts have typically been repaid from revenues generated by the asset through user charges, or from the general taxing power of the government.  With an increasingly high demand for infrastructure investments, and limited resources to achieve them, other… Continue Reading The Need for Land Value Capture in Infrastructure: The Case of the Tappan Zee Bridge

The Need for Privatized Student Housing

In today’s hyper-competitive college application process, student housing is a focus for many institutions of higher learning.  The administrations and boards of trustees often believe that, by creating more attractive housing opportunities, they can improve their institution’s ability to attract and retain students and faculty residents.  College housing preferences have changed drastically as students are… Continue Reading The Need for Privatized Student Housing

The Growth of Branded Residences

Residential buildings affiliated with popular brands have been around for quite some time. In today’s globalized market, however, they are seeing exponential growth, as wealthy individuals are looking for second homes.  Today there are over 400 branded residences across the globe, accounting for over 55,000 units. The US is the largest market for branded residences,… Continue Reading The Growth of Branded Residences

California High Speed Rail – Sidetracked, but not the End of the Line

Last month, California Governor Gavin Newsom scaled back the California High Speed Rail (HSR) planned from Los Angeles to San Francisco due to budget and time overruns.  The trimmed-down line will now run from Bakersfield to Merced – which was previously the Initial Operating Section (IOS) of the Bay-to-Basin alignment.  With due respect to the… Continue Reading California High Speed Rail – Sidetracked, but not the End of the Line