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# Rethink Real Estate. For Good.

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## Posts

- [Vacant Upper Floors: Unlocking Downtown Housing](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2026/07/31/vacant-upper-floors-unlocking-downtown-housing/) - In 2004, I managed the Vacant Upper Floors Project, bringing together architects, lenders, contractors, lawyers, building owners and public officials to explore one of downtown Pittsburgh's greatest untapped opportunities: the thousands of square feet sitting vacant above active storefronts. Rather than producing another policy paper, we worked with real buildings, real owners and real financial
- [Pop City: Changing the Conversation](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/12/15/pop-city-changing-the-conversation/) - In 2006, I had the opportunity to help create and launch Pop City, one of the country's earliest online city magazines, in partnership with Issue Media Group. As Pop City's first publisher, I worked with the launch team to develop its name, visual identity and editorial direction. Our mission was simple but ambitious: tell a
- [Podcast hiatus.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/12/20/podcast-hiatus/) - Dear friends of all things good in real estate. The year has been too busy (all good) resulting in too little time for podcasts (a little bad). This is a little bad because I love my podcast show - I get to talk to such remarkable people working on such remarkable things. Now the “busy” has
- [The Mulberry](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/12/10/the-mulberry/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Superpowers Interview.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/06/03/superpowers-interview/) - Devin Thorpe interviewed Eve for his TV show, Superpowers for Good!. It's a masterful interview. Devin teased the why and how of Small Change right out of her. For those of you still wondering what it is Eve actually does, this interview tells it all. You can watch the interview here. AI Episode Summary Devin Thorpe
- [Pittsburgh champion.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/09/03/pittsburgh-champion/) - If you’re looking for examples of urban revitalization, look no farther than Pittsburgh. We can thank people like Shawn Kichline, principal of Oxide Real Estate Development, for embracing the gritty urbanism of this city (where I live), and showing through his redevelopment efforts how livable and appealing it can be. A few years ago, Shawn
- [From $124,000 to $350,000.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/08/20/from-124000-to-350000/) - Maybe this is not super big news to you, but it is to me. In plain English, there's a recommendation on the table that if approved by the SEC, will permit small businesses to raise up to $350,000 without the burdensome financial review requirements that currently exist. This promises to be a momentous change for
- [Oculis Domes.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/02/25/oculis-domes/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Real estate and women.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/02/26/real-estate-and-women/) - Thank you, Colette Coleman, for laying bare the facts about women in real estate development. In her New York Times article, Female Developers Navigate Discrimination in a Male-Dominated Field, Colette shares the data behind and the reality of being a woman in real estate. "Women own just 2.8 percent of real estate firms and occupy 9 percent of
- [Mount Vernon Plaza](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/11/12/mount-vernon-plaza/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [The Seven](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/08/29/the-seven/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Bellevue Montgomery](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/02/11/bellevue-montgomery/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [West Lombard](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2025/01/28/west-lombard/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Swank Atlanta.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/12/23/swank-atlanta/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [The King Henry](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/11/28/the-king-henry/) - When developers recognize the value of place, exciting projects emerge. One such project is The King Henry in Alexandria, Virginia. Historic Alexandria in Virginia is just five miles south of Washington DC, a water taxi ride away from the National Harbor and a bike ride from Mount Vernon. The city is nationally recognized for its
- [The Aux Evanston](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/12/12/the-aux-evanston/) - There’s a real estate project underway in Evanston, Illinois, and it's called The Aux. Led by a diverse team, it represents much more than just the revamping of a 16,500 square foot vacant factory building. It represents the aspirational hope of a community. Not only does the community plan to fully renovate the building into
- [El Centro Home.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/02/13/el-centro-home/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Pajama Factory](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/03/25/pajama-factory/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Roseland Center.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/07/roseland-center/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [Passive House Duplex.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/11/20/passive-house-duplex/) - This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents. Image courtesy
- [The case for social housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/09/18/the-case-for-social-housing/) - The opera and apple strudel are the hottest tickets in Vienna these days, right? Wrong! US natives are invading the Austrian capital to take a look at their social housing projects. Hordes of politicians, housing advocates and journalists tromping the cobblestones, trying to understand how housing can be more than just a profit center, and
- [Small tranches.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/08/05/small-tranches/) - It’s not efficient to finance a $430 million project with small tranches of capital. And yet Small Change is. In early April 2024, Small Change, launched an investment opportunity into 22 Drydock Avenue in Boston’s Seaport district. The property is slated to be the city’s first life sciences building to achieve LEED Platinum and net-zero carbon
- [Oasis in a food desert.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/07/30/oasis-in-a-food-desert/) - An oasis is emerging in the food desert. Residents of the underserved Northwest Goldberg neighborhood in Detroit will finally be able to buy groceries and household goods locally, thanks to the establishment of Kornr Store, a retail concept developed by Brinda Devine of Purpose8 Real Estate. Only 18 months after raising $43,000 through a crowdfunding
- [Community Capital.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/06/19/community-capital/) - Chris Miller is chair and one of the founding board members of the National Coalition for Community Capital, a 501c3. Among NC3’s goals are to empower ordinary citizens and strengthen local economies through community investment and ownership, with particular attention to wealth-building by non-accredited investors and to underserved populations and communities. Chris has been working
- [Intentional Community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/06/05/intentional-community/) - Kathryn (Katie) McCamant brings the depth and diversity of her 35 years of experience as a developer, architect, and cohousing resident to benefit her clients. Coauthor of Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, the book that introduced cohousing to North America and the English-speaking world, and more recently, Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities, Katie
- [Bigger.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/16/bigger/) - This year Small Change expanded its team … radically. You may have read about it. We’re 10 weeks in now and have developed a satisfying work rhythm, supporting each other as Small Change gets busier. Julian and Mitch are now managing the platform technology in house. Mitch is the coder and Julian the strategist. Rich,
- [Public Assets.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/22/public-assets/) - Former U.S. Congressman Ben McAdams is the founder and CEO of the Common Ground Institute, an organization supporting jurisdictions working to create revenue and other public benefits from government-owned real estate through public-private partnerships. He is also a Senior Fellow for the Government Finance Officers Association, where he leads the Putting Public Assets to Work
- [Woman of Influence.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/14/woman-of-influence/) - For the second year running GlobeSt. has made me a winner! GlobeSt. has been recognizing the growing number of women in commercial real estate for their excellent professional achievements for over 30 years now through the “Woman of Influence” awards. The categories are broad. This year I’ve been included in the PropTech Executive / Innovator
- [$280M Loan.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/06/280m-loan/) - This is a big one. Related Beal just closed on a $280M loan for the new Seaport life sciences project, readying them for the next phase of the project, construction. You might wonder why we care? One of the partners on the project, The Boston Real Estate Inclusion Fund, led by Kirk Sykes, has listed
- [For the love of cities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/05/08/for-the-love-of-cities/) - Enrique Penalosa is an internationally respected urban thinker, who, as Mayor of Bogota in two non-consecutive terms, profoundly transformed his city from one with neither bearings, nor self-esteem into an international model in several areas. As adviser and lecturer, he has influenced policies in many cities throughout the world. Among his achievements is the creation
- [#WeOwnThis](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/04/24/weownthis/) - Lyneir Richardson is co-founder and CEO of The Chicago TREND Corporation. He is an experienced commercial and residential real estate developer with over 17 years of experience in urban retail development. Lyneir is also a Professional Practice Instructor in the Department of Management and Global Business at Rutgers Business School in Newark, NJ, and the
- [DWELL riffs on Small Change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/04/16/dwell-riffs-on-small-change/) - “Meet the organization crowdfunding for affordable housing” writes Anjelie Rao for Dwell magazine. “Small Change aims to allow anyone—not just developers—to invest in projects across the country. Its founder, Eve Picker, shares how it’s opening a new lane to community change. Real estate investment hasn’t always had the best reputation. House flipping, gentrification anxiety, and opaque
- [BREIF. Boston Real Estate Inclusion Fund.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/04/10/boston-real-estate-inclusion-fund/) - Kirk Sykes is Managing Director of Accordia Partners, LLC, a Boston-based real estate investment and development company. Accordia executes large scale public-private real estate projects with a goal of financial and socially responsible investing success. He was previously the head of Urban Strategy America Fund, L.P., an urban investment, development, and redevelopment commercial real estate
- [Manufactured authenticity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/03/27/manufactured-authenticity/) - Scott Snodgrass is a founding partner of Meristem Communities, a Houston-based real estate development firm committed to creating Places for People™️ with mindful, fine-grained developments. Meristem is a resiliency-focused developer whose guiding principles create human-centric design by thoughtfully, sustainably, and holistically connecting the land and its natural resources with people. Scott is an innovative entrepreneur and
- [Crowdfunding tax credits.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/03/13/crowdfunding-tax-credits/) - Rich Rogers is an urban planner and attorney in Buffalo, New York. As a principal at Urban Vantage, he focuses on creative problem-solving to help public and private sector projects work from concept into financing and implementation. He frequently interfaces with clients, related professionals, and the public to work collaboratively on public and private sector
- [Big change for Small Change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/03/06/big-change-for-small-change/) - SmallChange.co Expands, Welcomes Five Partners With Expertise in Regulation Crowdfunding PITTSBURGH – March 6, 2024 – SmallChange.co, an investment crowdfunding platform focused on real estate development with social impact, has expanded significantly with the addition of five partners. All have extensive experience in regulation crowdfunding: Their track record includes the establishment of Common Owner, a
- [Reclaiming Control.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/02/28/reclaiming-control/) - Adriana Abizadeh is the executive director of the Kensington Corridor Trust (KCT) in Philadelphia. The mission, duty and purpose of the KCT is to help the Kensington community reclaim control over a once thriving commercial corridor by reactivating real estate, fostering local entrepreneurship and reinvesting capital in the neighborhood. With deep interests in public policy
- [The Great Real Estate Reset.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/02/07/the-great-real-estate-reset/) - Dr. Tracy Hadden Loh is a Fellow with the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Metro. Her research focuses on commercial real estate and how place-level assets interact and affect the prospects and resilience of the people and enterprises that call a place home in urban, suburban, and rural settings.
- [For the love of the building.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2024/01/24/for-the-love-of-the-building/) - Growing up in a middle-class household in suburban New Jersey, Mark Winkelman decided at an early age, with the encouragement from his interior designer mother, to pursue architecture. To that end he attended and graduated from the Syracuse School of Architecture in 1978. Upon graduation he interned in Phillip Johnson’s highly acclaimed design firm in
- [Office conversion.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/12/20/office-conversion/) - According to CBRE the overall U.S. office vacancy rate hit a 30-year-high of 18.2% in mid-2023 That doesn’t sound so bad, but reality is just not so even-handed. Only 10% of all U.S. office buildings account for 80% of the occupancy losses since the onset of Covid. I visited Atlanta in early October, 2023. My
- [Magic in the details.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/12/13/magic-in-the-details/) - Lorenzo Perez is co-founder and directing principal of Venue Projects, an inspired redevelopment practice based in Phoenix, Arizona. Advocates for LOCAL community, culture and commerce, Venue crafts one-of-a-kind environments and experiences throughout the Metro Phoenix market. A native Phoenician, Lorenzo holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Arizona State University, an active Arizona real estate
- [Architectural entrepreneur.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/11/29/architectural-entrepreneur/) - Atif Z. Qadir, AIA is the Co-founder & Chief Impact Officer of Commonplace, a market network at the intersection of real estate and capital markets. He is a Registered Architect and LEED Accredited Professional turned entrepreneur with a particular interest in housing and impact. His strengths are observing, asking, analyzing, and using the power of
- [Tracking returns.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/11/15/tracking-returns/) - Sometimes you have to look back to see how far you have come. We did just that last week. With the help of our Small Change tech team, we created a brand new landing page on our real estate crowdfunding platform called Tracking Returns. You’ll find past projects posted there, organized by performance. We plan to
- [Shift capital.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/11/08/shift-capital/) - Brian Murray is the co-founder of Shift Capital, an impact urban real estate group driving mission-oriented capital, collaborative resources and inclusive strategies into underserved communities. Through his work at Shift, Brian is focused on finding better solutions at the intersection of society’s most difficult urban challenges - intergenerational poverty, urban revitalization, access to opportunity, and
- [Wall Street capital.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/10/25/wall-street-capital/) - Joel Miller serves as CEO of Wall Street Capital Partners (Advisors), a Real Estate Syndication firm based out of Atlanta GA, specializing in sourcing and arranging debt and equity for acquisitions, development and recapitalization of Commercial Real Estate. The firm also invests its own acquisition and development projects as a GP investor. Current pipeline includes
- [Joyous disruption.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/10/18/joyous-disruption/) - A former banker turned Oklahoma City developer, Jonathan Dodson is passionate about creating value through new partnerships and projects. Jonathan's financial background, paired with his experience as one of the initial members of the ULI Oklahoma, fostered an interest in urban neighborhoods and re-development initiatives. He co-founded Pivot in 2014 -- his creative vision and
- [Starter Home disappears.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/10/11/starter-home-disappears/) - What happens when Wall Street comes for the starter home? In a slightly depressing piece of journalism, the New York Times documented the answer to this question by exploring sales in a neighborhood of Charlotte, NC. Between 2021 and 2022 one-third of the houses in just one block of this 34-year old subdivision were bought
- [Retrofits.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/09/28/retrofits/) - Converting vacant office buildings to housing is not an easy fix for our ailing downtowns. Not by a long shot. Over the years experience has shown that they are never straightforward. There is no magic sauce. The unhappy truth is that retrofits are hard, expensive and sometimes make no sense at all. Here’s why …
- [Americas YLG: Crowdfunding for Real Estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/09/27/americas-ylg-crowdfunding-for-real-estate/) - Eve Picker is participating in Crowdfunding for Real Estate, a virtual event hosted by the ULI Americas Young Leaders Group. This event will explore new ways to invest in development projects in an exclusive event offered to Young Leaders on Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 12:00 p.m. ET. The panel, made up of Mark K. Bhasin,
- [Lindsey is a scout.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/10/04/lindsey-is-a-scout/) - Lindsey Scannapieco leads Scout, an urban design and development practice that focuses on the activation of underutilized space. Scout’s largest project to date is the redevelopment of Bok into an innovative space for makers, artisans and entrepreneurs. The project has been recently recognized with the Charter Award for Transformational Development by CNU (2021) and long
- [Real Estate Artist.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/09/20/real-estate-artist-2/) - Liz Dunn is the owner of Dunn & Hobbes LLC, a Seattle-based real estate development and property management company. Her focus is on repurposing older buildings and constructing new “skinny infill” mixed use projects. These include the 1310 east union lofts, the Piston & Ring Building, Agnes Lofts, Melrose Market and Chophouse Row. Liz also works as a consultant on urban design, retail
- [Working from anywhere.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/08/23/working-from-anywhere/) - Working from anywhere is the new normal. So we're glad to see Small Change's work-from-home policy covered in this article by The Fintech Times. It's true that you can miss face-to-face banter. But days in the office, industry events and of course, those dreaded Zoom meetings, keep us socialized.
- [The tallest wood building. So far.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/09/13/the-tallest-wood-building/) - Milwaukee has the tallest wood building in the world. Yes really. Milwaukee! This informational video explains the building and provides a primer for building a skyscraper in wood, or mass timber. Do you have a mass timber building in your city that will top this?
- [Be Good Development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/09/06/be-good-development/) - Franchell Abdalla is the principal of BE GOOD DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, a real estate development firm specializing in the acquisition, financial structuring, community engagement and execution of real estate projects. BE GOOD's development consulting services enable their clients to achieve their full development goals. For municipal governments and public housing authorities, Francell adapts methods suited to
- [Globe Street Class of 2023](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/07/24/globe-street-class-of-2023/) - Who’s my crowd? According to GlobeSt.com/Real Estate Forum, the 2023 Women of Influence. That’s right: The publication named me a “Diversity Champion,” one of its special recognition awards. I’m proud to be included among so many women who are making their mark in what is still a male-dominated industry. And I’m especially proud that my
- [ESG versus Impact Investing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/07/25/esg-versus-impact-investing/) - Impact investing is not ESG. And ESG is not Impact investing. Is this news to you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Some of the smartest and most sophisticated people have trouble distinguishing between the two. ESG stands for environmental, social and governance. It was the brainchild of governments wanting to bring these issues into mainstream
- [The Garden.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/07/11/the-garden/) - by Eve Picker There is not much good to say about the Covid pandemic. But three years later I am richer in two ways. I have plenty of antibodies and I have become obsessed with plants. Gardening is too mild a word for my passion. Books and the internet fill hours of time, as I
- [Local Spaces. Crowdfunded.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/06/14/local-spaces-crowdfunded/) - Crowdfunding can take many forms -- from donation-based to investment-based, supporting small and large businesses or bricks and mortar and even civic projects. We’ve always loved Spacehive, the earliest civic crowdfunding platform to emerge, founded by Chris Gourlay in London. Spacehive helps locals and communities bring their ideas to life through crowdfunding. As the world’s
- [Strong Towns](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/06/07/strong-towns/) - Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a land use planner and civil engineer with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. Marohn is the
- [Toronto](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/05/30/toronto/) - Canada has opened its arms to immigrants. We tried to build a wall. This is how that decision plays out. Drive just 5 hours directly north from Pittsburgh, and weave around the Great Lakes a little, and you’ll be in Toronto, perhaps the most multicultural and multi-racial city in the world. With the foreign-born population
- [Waste to Energy.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/05/24/waste-to-energy/) - Samuel Alemayehu is an experienced global serial entrepreneur and active angel investor. His work in thepast two decades has been guided with an obsession to empower the individual and sustain the village.His current focus is running Frontier Resilient Capital (FRC) to incubate or invest in companies who aredeveloping or commercializing breakthrough technologies that empower the
- [Great streets.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/05/16/great-streets/) - I live on a not so great street. It’s a shame because it could be really great! My side of the street is filled with small storefronts, bars and restaurants. There is lots to see from the sidewalk and there are lots of places to stop along the way. The other side of the street
- [It’s a dog’s life.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/05/02/its-a-dogs-life/) - I measure real estate trends by dogs. Let me explain. Quite a few years ago my son became the owner of an adorable German Shepherd puppy. And then he became an airline pilot and I began to co-parent a handsome 100 lb German Shepherd dog … from my downtown Pittsburgh apartment. I’d take Atlas out
- [It’s all about walking.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/05/03/its-all-about-walking/) - Jeff Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he presided over the Mayors' Institute on City Design and created the Governors' Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck
- [Parking minimums gone!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/04/22/parking-minimums-gone/) - The pandemic shone new light on the value of urban land. Climate change has also prompted some serious thought to the role of the car in the urban landscape. In Montreal a parking lot has become a children's playground. In Winnipeg several have become popular beer gardens. In Toronto, a 100-unit apartment building is replacing
- [The power of Fintech.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/04/19/fostering-inclusion-in-fintech/) - Technology is the bomb. But when you set technology loose on the problems of the world, that’s when things really start clicking. The Fintech Times agrees with me. This month they are focused on fintech companies that meld diversity and inclusion into their financial services. My interview with them kicked off their investigation. I’ve faced
- [Foot traffic ahead.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/04/19/foot-traffic-ahead/) - Christopher Leinberger has had a singular career embedded in urban land use issues – as a strategist, teacher, developer, researcher and author. Recently retired from academia, he most recently taught at George Washington University as the Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar & Research Professor and chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis. His
- [Fix Development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/04/05/fix-development/) - Juli Kaufmann believes in a quadruple bottom line return. Her company, Fix Development, applies this philosophy to each and every real estate project in their portfolio, prioritizing economic stability, environmental stewardship, social equity, and cultural continuity. Juli founded Fix Development in 2009, and has since developed more than $25 million in real estate projects in Milwaukee. While
- [Dorchester rocks.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/01/19/dorchester-rocks/) - Travis Lee is founder and owner of TLee Development LLC, the developer of 1463 Dorchester Avenue. Travis is passionate about creating cross-cultural community building and economic development opportunities for low- and moderate-income Dorchester residents. A Dorchester resident himself, Travis has over 15 years of experience developing mixed-income housing and small businesses in his community. Travis
- [Running on fumes.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/01/26/running-on-fumes/) - John Liss is running on fumes. He’s up very early every morning building his company FAST. And he’s doing something important and having fun. John founded True Footage, with a Harvard business degree in hand, to help a rather sloppy industry get a little more accurate. A real estate data authentication platform built to streamline
- [Next Gen recycling.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/02/next-gen-recycling/) - A bit of a technology ‘man for all seasons’, Harri Holopainen started his career in computer graphics on a Commodore 64. He worked on smart card payment systems, co-founded a small graphics software company, and even designed and implemented a prototype online gaming world, a subject he did his university thesis on. Upon graduating, he and his
- [Landing a home.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/04/27/landing-a-home/) - Alex Lofton is on a mission to make the home buying process more accessible and attainable for essential professionals, a group that typically cannot save the equity needed to buy a home. He co-founded Landed to help teachers, healthcare workers, government workers, and other members of the public sector (essential workers) become homeowners through a
- [Design justice.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/25/design-justice/) - Bryan Lee, Jr. may have studied architecture, but he is by no means just an architect. Bryan’s philosophy and ideas are big, challenging and adamant. To address these ideas, in 2017, Bryan created Colloqate Design in New Orleans, a firm that uses design thinking to create a conversation or dialogue (thus, the name of their
- [Reclaiming your Community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/04/06/reclaiming-your-community/) - Majora Carter's career as urban revitalization strategist has spanned environment, economy, social mobility, and real estate development. Her work has won major awards in each sector, including a MacArthur 'genius' Grant and Peabody Award winning broadcaster. Majora’s words -- “Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one" --
- [I do a bunch of weird stuff.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/04/i-do-a-bunch-of-weird-stuff/) - Kevin Cavenaugh is a rare developer. Left brain, right brain, head and heart all come to bear on his wildly creative buildings. He has carved out a special place for himself in the Portland real estate world. He has said, “I'm tired of mocha-colored, vinyl-windowed boring. I can't change the fact that the streets are
- [Repairing the urban environment.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/03/02/repairing-the-urban-environment/) - As a university student, Tracy Gabriel blended city planning with international affairs. As a Fulbright Scholar she studied in Damascus. She built a career in planning and development in New York and Washington D.C. that led her, in 2018, to the leadership role for the National Landing BID in Arlington, Virginia, being billed as the
- [Foreclosure free.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/09/foreclosure-free/) - John Green is a developer and investor who sees opportunity in a real estate market that innovates. With well over a decade of experience in real estate and finance, he co-founded Blackstar Stability ("BSS") modeled on two proven programs that were created and operated by John and his co-founders. These programs began at the state-level
- [52,500 clients served.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/16/52500-clients-served/) - Tom De Simone came right out of graduate school on the East Coast with an urban planning degree, and dove right into the wonderful world of housing policy on the West Coast. He first worked for the Deputy Mayor’s office in Los Angeles and then in the City’s Housing Department. He did research and analysis
- [Scottie loves real estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/23/scottie-loves-real-estate/) - Scottie Smith II, is CEO of Scottie Smith & Associates (SSA), and a licensed broker, developer, author and entrepreneur based in Dallas, Texas. He is a veteran in the real estate industry, with 15 years of experience, and has helped thousands of people nationwide through his sales and real estate development activities. Scottie has been
- [Women-owned. Michigan-made.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/03/16/women-owned-michigan-made/) - Jill Ferrari is all about creating impact where it is needed. An attorney with twenty-five years of real estate development and operations experience, she is also the co-founder (with Shannon Morgan) of Renovare Development, a woman-owned, social impact, real estate development company focused on transformational projects in Michigan. To say Jill knows this space would
- [Building efficiency.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/03/23/building-efficiency/) - Adrian Washington says that until he was past 30, he had never even heard the term ‘real estate developer.’ Today he is known for over two decades of experience in urban real estate development, construction and management and the startup of several companies, the most notable being Neighborhood Development Company, founded in 1999 in his
- [Public Practice.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/03/30/public-practice/) - Trained as an architect, and with a background in planning and government, Pooja Agrawal understands the need for talented architects and planning practitioners in local government, where talent is thin. She co-founded Public Practice to fill that void. Based in London, Public Practice trains and places architects and planners in local government positions with the
- [New markets for main street.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/11/new-markets-for-main-street/) - NuMarket was born out of the pandemic. Ross Chanowski founded the social crowdfunding platform in 2020 because he felt there wasn’t a way for communities to purposefully support the survival and growth of their local businesses. In an interview with The Boston Globe, Ross said that he wanted to develop a way for customers to
- [Ready. Set. Homes.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/03/22/ready-set-homes/) - Necessity is the mother of invention. In 2019, Dafna Kaplan embarked upon an investigative journey to uncover the obstacles preventing true construction innovation from widespread adoption. Extensive research and development led to the launch of Cassette, an integrated product and service model with an innovative delivery approach. In 2022, Cassette introduced a beautifully designed one-bedroom
- [Disability Forward Housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/03/08/disability-forward-housing/) - Micaela Connery is co-founder and CEO of The Kelsey, a San Francisco–based nonprofit that co-develops accessible, affordable, inclusive multifamily housing, advocates for policy changes that promote inclusive practices, and provides tools and templates for others who want to build housing based on its model. Since founding The Kelsey in 2017, Connery has secured more than
- [We Own This.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/02/22/we-own-this/) - Lyneir Richardson is working to empower entrepreneurs and strengthen economic conditions in urban and underserved areas across the United States. He wears multiple hats, investing in commercial real estate, educating and advising entrepreneurs and MBA students, consulting corporations, foundations and government agencies, and structuring deals to get capital to Black entrepreneurs and real estate developers.
- [Building generational wealth.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/20/building-generational-wealth/) - Last May, Lyneir Richardson told us about his audacious goal to help 1,000 urban entrepreneurs grow their businesses, through a nine-month program run by the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. This year we are talking to him again about his latest project, implemented through The Chicago TREND Corporation, where
- [Caterpillars.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/02/08/caterpillars/) - Philip Kafka is President of Prince Concepts, which he founded after selling his company, Prince Media. Philip spent six years building the New York based billboard business, developing and marketing sign locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco and Los Angeles before he sold it to LAMAR, the largest billboard company in the country. Philip decided
- [Cut My Timber.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/25/cut-my-timber/) - In 2010, Greg Howes co-founded CutMyTimber, a prefab mass timber company based out of Portland, Oregon, and he remains a partner at the company. CutMyTimber works with architects, structural engineers, builders and other fabricators, to supply custom mass timber products for a variety of building types, ranging from small cabins to 500,000 sf commercial buildings.
- [Starter Home. Where are you?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/24/starter-home-where-are-you/) - “The economics of the housing market, and the local rules that shape it, have squeezed out entry-level homes.” writes Emily Badger for The New York Times. “The disappearance of such affordable homes is central to the American housing crisis. The nation has a deepening shortage of housing. But, more specifically, there isn’t enough of this housing:
- [Asset Digest on Paul Rabinovitch.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/16/asset-digest-on-paul-rabinovitch/) - Asset Digest announces Paul Rabinovitch joins SmallChange.co Crowdfunding Platform as Strategic Advisor. Rabinovitch was the former principal and head of real estate at New Island Capital Management, a 100% impact investment advisory firm. Over the past 2 decades he has overseen investments of approximately $500 million of equity in real estate and is widely considered a
- [Democratizing green roofs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/11/democratizing-green-roofs/) - Molly Meyer is democratizing the green roof. 80% of the buildings that will exist in a few decades from now are already built. And since buildings are one of the biggest contributors to climate change, figuring out how to retrofit them economically and easily is a must do. Green roofs are a big part of
- [Our client is the planet.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/18/our-client-is-the-planet/) - Jeremy, the founding Director of Breathe, has built a team of dedicated architects with a reputation for delivering high quality, sustainable design for all scale projects. In particular, Breathe has been focused on sustainable urbanization and exploring ways to deliver more affordable urban housing to Melburnians. As the instigator of The Commons housing project in
- [Flat is the new normal.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2023/01/10/flat-is-the-new-normal/) - “Mass-market production and the commodification of housing has led to a ‘flattening’ of design into a limited set of bland, homogeneous options” writes Diana Ionescu for Planetizen. Once upon a time, houses used to have unique features. Today, if you drive around any American city, you’ll see neighborhoods full of cookie cutter homes and rows
- [Superpowers.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/12/09/superpowers/) - "What do you think of as your superpower?" asks Devin. "My superpower is when someone says “no” to me, that just makes me go harder" says Eve. "Seriously, I have incredible stick-to-it-iveness. My superpower is endurance." Listen to the podcast for more about Eve and her superpowers! Logo from Superpowers for Good
- [Women-led Cities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/12/14/women-led-cities/) - Katrina Johnston-Zimmerman is an urban anthropologist working to create better cities for people through the lens of anthropology. Currently her work is focused on Philadelphia, where she is a SmartCityPHL Data Fellow, working on the implementation of the SmartCityPHL Roadmap. As an anthropologist, Katrina is curious about us - homo sapiens - and why we
- [Gower Crowd.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/12/07/gower-crowd/) - Adam Gower founded GowerCrowd in 2014 to provide developers with resources to help raise money online for real estate crowdfunding deals. His platform provides lots of educational materials and training courses for both developers and investors, mostly geared towards high net worth individuals. Adam also hosts a podcast show called The Real Estate Crowdfunding Show,
- [From beetles to mass timber.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/11/30/from-beetles-to-mass-timber/) - Sandra Lupien is the Director of MassTimber@MSU, a program at Michigan State University that harnesses outreach, communications, research, education, and partnerships to advance mass timber construction and manufacture in Michigan and the surrounding region. Sandra has two decades of diverse policy, communications, external affairs, and leadership experience in the non-profit, public, and private sectors, most
- [It takes a village.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/06/16/it-takes-a-village/) - Charles Durrett is an architect often credited with introducing the concept of cohousing to the United States through his co-authored book, Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves and more recently Cohousing Communities: Designing for High-Functioning Neighborhoods. Over a number of years, he has built a career around this idea - one he was introduced
- [100% Community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/11/16/100-percent-community/) - Tosha Wilson was born in the community she serves and is a proud graduate of Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois. She received her bachelor's degree from Illinois State University in Communications and her master's degree in Children's Law and Police from Loyola University School of Law. In 2018, Tosha Wilson and Jacqui White
- [Project Destined.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/11/09/project-destined/) - Cedric Bobo is the CEO and Co-founder of Project Destined, a social impact vehicle that trains urban youth and military veterans to be owners and stakeholders in the communities in which they live, work and play. Prior to founding Project Destined, Cedric spent over 20 years as an investor and investment banker including over 10
- [Dump it Right There.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/19/dump-it-right-there/) - In 1992 Julie Bargmann founded D.I.R.T (Dump It Right There) studio, a landscape architecture firm in Charlottesville, VA. She set out to focus on regenerating contaminated and forgotten urban and post industrial sites. Early on, one of the studio’s first major projects catapulted her work into the spotlight and became the early poster child for
- [Transforming neighborhoods through crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/25/transforming-neighborhoods-through-crowdfunding/) - “The idea of harnessing small-scale investors for real estate development is gaining momentum nationally, boosted by digital platforms and federal rule changes” writes Carey L. Biron, for Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Backers say the approach opens up real estate investing to a broader pool of buyers and gives locals a say in neighborhood investments – and
- [$0 Fares.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/11/07/0-fares/) - “Kansas City’s Zero Fare transit program shows major success – and what still needs to be done. It’s been three years since Kansas City voted to make its public transit free. Can it keep going?" writes Sandy Smith for Next City. In 2019 Kansas City council were unanimous in their vote to make pubic transit
- [Creative Homies.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/11/02/creative-homies/) - Adewale Agboola (pronounced “WAH-Lay”) and his partner, Cyrus Coleman have purchased the historic Enterprise Building in downtown Portland originally constructed in 1905. The 20,000 square foot building is located at 433 NW 4th Avenue, Portland, Oregon. They plan to repurpose the 20,000 square foot building located at 433 NW 4th Avenue, into a creative hub
- [Counting on Crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/26/counting-on-crowdfunding/) - Jamison Manwaring is the co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Ventures, a remarkable Arizona-based real estate crowdfunding company, focused on value-add multi-family properties. It’s a real estate company, for sure – they buy, hold and sell property. But the capital plan is innovative, with a growing pool of state residents who are permitted to invest through
- [Eve Picker wins national Real Estate Award.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/18/eve-picker-wins-national-real-estate-award/) - Connect CRE has named Small Change founder and CEO Eve Picker as one of their National 2022 Women in Real Estate Award winners. Central to Connect CRE’s selection of Eve was her establishment of the Small Change Index to evaluate the impact of real estate projects according to ESG-related factors. All projects listed on Small
- [The Fintech Times.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/09/14/the-fintech-times/) - When asked about building a Fintech business (as a woman) by the Fintech Times, Eve Picker, founder of SmallChange.co had this to say: "Be realistic about the good and bad aspects of building a business. I’ll start with a negative: you’ll probably have a tough time raising money. After all, only two to three per
- [In support of Crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/10/in-support-of-crowdfunding/) - Crowdfunding for equity, or Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF), came about as part of the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. The legislation aimed to make raising capital easier for startups and small businesses while providing opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs. Crowdfunding has had its teething problems and is still evolving. For starters, Reg CF took four
- [Agri-Crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/08/22/agri-crowdfunding/) - “The world’s population is expected to have grown by over a third from 2009 to 2050, an additional 2.3 billion people. To feed this number of people, food production will have to increase by around 70% from the 2005/07 levels (source: The World Bank). Meeting this world demand for food is going to need innovation in agriculture: selecting
- [Social Impact Hero.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/09/09/social-impact-hero/) - "As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eve Picker" writes Yitzi Weiner for Authority Magazine. "Eve Picker is the founder and president of Small Change, a crowdfunding platform that enables developers to raise capital for real estate projects with social impact. She is a trained
- [$3.22 Trillion.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/09/26/3-22-trillion/) - “We want to champion the power of investing, and the power of female investment, in order to demonstrate that inclusivity and diversity matters—and that the time to act is now.” Hanneke Smits, CEO, BNY Mellon Investment Management. The 2021 report The Pathway to Inclusive Investment was compiled from 8,000 interviews with women and men, 100
- [Not a Snowflake.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/12/not-a-snowflake/) - Elizabeth Timme is one of four co-founders of a brand spanking new design and planning office based in Los Angeles: Office of: Office. Elizabeth, a third generation architect, born in Texas and raised in LA, is best known for her work as founding co-director of LA-Más, a small but notable non-profit, “designing and building initiatives
- [Cultural Commentary.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/10/05/cultural-commentary/) - Although her focus at school was art history, Allison Arieff initially landed squarely in the publishing world. After an editorial stint at Chronicle Books, she began her well-known tenure at Dwell magazine, in 2000, she was a founding Senior Editor, but she soon took over the reins as Editor-in-Chief, from 2002 to 2006. During her
- [People first.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/09/28/people-first/) - In 2000, Helle Søholt and her (professional) partner, Professor Jan Gehl (a Danish architect and urban designer) launched Gehl Architects (later Gehl), which grew into a notable urban research and design consulting firm based in Copenhagen. The firm, now over two decades old, focuses on improving the quality of urban life, in part by prioritizing
- [Garage ADUs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/09/14/garage-adus/) - Want to know about project management? Meet Rebecca Möller, the founder and CEO of Symbihom, a company in the San Francisco Bay area that has designed unique, prefabricated garage to ADU conversion kit, hoping to aid the problem of affordable housing with units that take less than 4 weeks to install. In 2008, prior to
- [Everything old is new again.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/04/everything-old-is-new-again/) - Daniel Dus lives and breathes solar. After college, he moved into real estate, got an MBA and then leapt head first into the energy industry. Today, Daniel heads the North American Renewables division for Adani, an Indian multinational group that has one of the largest solar portfolios, globally. But his heart is equally someplace else
- [From Wall Street to Main Street.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/22/from-wall-street-to-main-street/) - Daniel Dus, founder of Shared Estates, has forged a career taking him to the top of his class in the solar industry. But his heart is someplace else - in the Berkshires. That’s where he grew up and that’s where he’s building his next act. The Berkshires, Massachusetts is rich with travel destinations, and has
- [Rethink Real Estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/27/rethink-real-estate/) - What happens when three friends and kindred spirits start dedicating their Saturday mornings to the pursuit of more equitable development and democratized finance? For years, Dutch MacDonald, architect and technologist, Josh McManus, entrepreneur and place-maker, and Eve Picker, urban designer and developer, have been rooting each other on in their respective pursuits. And then the
- [Totally backwards.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/24/totally-backwards/) - Michael H. Shuman – economist, attorney, author, entrepreneur and a go-to person on local and community economics. Local, local, local. In everything he does Michael is focused on the little guy (or girl). And he firmly believes that a robust economy would not be so robust without all of those little main street businesses and startups.
- [Capital is just a tool.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/31/capital-is-just-a-tool/) - In this podcast Molly McCabe and I explore housing the homeless, real estate projects that make community, and the future of impact investing. Her Lotus Campaign is yielding astonishing results quite early on, having placed 150 homeless people in its first year of existence, so listen in to learn more. Molly is a veteran of
- [One year. 49 conversations.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/15/a-year-of-podcasts/) - 49 amazing people. 49 inspiring conversations. Josh McManus. Tom Murphy. Avra Jain. Liz Faletta. Eric Kronberg. Christine Mondor. Lorenzo Perez. John Perfitt. Jason Neville. Molly McCabe. Jonathan Tate. Scott Choppin. Matt Hoffman. Rebecca Foster. Brian Gaudio. Thibault Manekin. Jeremy McLeod. Kris Daff. Marc Koehler. Brian Murray. Josh Lavrinc. Emerick Paul Patterson. Brandon Dennison. John Folan.
- [Small Change](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/05/11/small-change/) - Today we have new securities laws, born out of the JOBS Act of 2012, that let us form capital for scrappy startups and scrappy buildings with the help of neighbors, friends, allies, and enthusiasts. Eve founded Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding platform, to take advantage of these regulations and to help projects leverage funds
- [Real estate artist.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/28/real-estate-artist/) - In this podcast Lorenzo Perez and I explore the power of developing artistic and inspirational places and the need for less formula and more creativity in real estate development. Lorenzo is the co-founder, designer, restless innovator and inspired real estate developer leading Venue Projects. He talks fast, plenty and daydreams often and he's a nostalgic storyteller who
- [How to leave places better than you find them.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/04/how-to-leave-places-better-than-you-find-them/) - Josh McManus is a problem-solver working in post-industrial cities with entrepreneurs, corporations, and foundations to help people positively transform the places that they love. Josh’s experience spans 20 years as a serial social and business entrepreneur. An innovator in entrepreneurial ecosystems, creative economic development and combating population loss, Josh is obsessed with place-based change. An
- [The balancing act.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/20/the-balancing-act/) - Modern community development is a balancing act For most of the history of urban development, community input was rare. Top down design and planning prescriptions, like those of “urban renewal” were how communities were made. These days, planners and developers need to be far more agile and responsive to create communities. Working in tandem with
- [Striving for impact.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/23/striving-for-impact/) - How can real estate developers and investors make substantial positive change in the places in which they build? It’s a vexing question that luckily has numerous answers. You just need to know where to look. Be direct and honest Let's face it, you're not going to be able to please all the people all the
- [Advancing community development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/02/advancing-community-development/) - Joshua Lavrinc is a multi-disciplinary real estate professional with a breadth of experience in development and finance consulting, lending and investment, and fund management. He's also a colleague and friend of mine in Pittsburgh, What sets Josh apart is the type of funds and projects he is involved in. He’s carved out a little niche
- [How to transform a city.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/26/how-to-transform-a-city/) - Tom Murphy is the second-longest serving mayor of Pittsburgh (after David Lawrence). He is noted for overseeing the difficult, but transformative transition of the city from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s during turbulent Downtown development cycles, an initially unpopular funding bid for two new waterfront stadiums, a new convention center (then the largest ‘green’ building in
- [Delicious urban soup.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/19/delicious-urban-soup/) - Entrepreneur-in-Residence is a bold and unusual title for a real estate developer. Emerick Paul Patterson, who owns that title, fits the bill. Emerick's work over the past two years has focused on the East Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, where he partnered with the real estate developer, Heritage Equity Partners, to create a large-scale (500,000 square
- [Maintaining a place for the community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/06/maintaining-a-place-for-the-community/) - When wealthier individuals and organizations move into an urban neighborhood, both the rental and property values as well as the culture and character of the community can change. This process is known as gentrification. While this shift can do good and often results in the revitalization of struggling areas, it can also leave many people
- [1,000 urban entrepreneurs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/20/1000-urban-entrepreneurs/) - Lyneir Richardson is a man with a mission. His goal is to help 1,000 urban entrepreneurs grow their businesses, through a nine-month program run by the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) at Rutgers University in Newark, NJ. The program, where diversity abounds, has enrolled about 400 entrepreneurs so far. As executive director
- [Co-creating.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/10/co-creating/) - Adam Sgrenci, a carpenter by trade with an education background in international development, founded The Center for Infrastructure and Society in 2019 with a mission to “accelerate social, economic and ecological transformation." As a startup the Center's work has evolved over the last year into an organization focused primarily on human capital. While affordable housing
- [Nurturing urban entrepreneurs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/06/nurturing-urban-entrepreneurs/) - Entrepreneurs will shape our future. They have problem-solving coded into their DNA. They are innovative, embrace challenges and change, are critical thinkers, questioning and always forward-thinking. Entrepreneurs see the bigger picture, think outside the box, are creative risk-takers and have the tenacity to follow through on their ideas. Entrepreneurs are enormously important. They have the
- [Building virtual communities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/09/building-virtual-communities/) - Previously, Michael was a resident entrepreneur at the Harvard Innovation Labs, a member of the group called Base 15 Studio which focused on public design advocacy, or “creative consultancy.” Before starting graduate school he participated in a design collective founded by Cornell University architecture graduates, Hither Yon, based in Berlin, Rome and New York. And
- [Place.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/09/place/) - Main streets everywhere, in urban metros and small towns alike, are the lifeblood of community. What makes them so important? Economy Small businesses thrive on main streets, and small businesses are the backbone of our economy. In this way a main street can be a local employment center that reflects the prosperity of a
- [One room at a time.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/12/09/one-room-at-a-time/) - Atticus LeBlanc is the founder of Padsplit, a technology platform dedicated to affordable housing, with no barriers of entry. Atticus, who studied architecture and urban studies at Yale, has been an affordable housing advocate and real estate investor for over a decade, with a company that owns and manages over 550 affordable residential units. But
- [The Bridge.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/17/the-bridge/) - Garry Gilliam may be best known for playing in the National Football League, first for the Seattle Seahawks, then the San Francisco 49ers, but today he has a second career as an impact real estate developer. Originally from Harrisburg, at age eight Garry was sent to the Milton Hersey School, a private philanthropic boarding school
- [Bridging the Gap.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/24/bridging-the-gap/) - “Even after retiring from the NFL, Seattle Seahawks players keep finding ways to give back to their community. Former offensive tackle Garry Gilliam and defensive tackle Jordan Hill, who have played football together for most of their lives, are uniting once again to create change in their hometown of Harrisburg, PA.” writes Samantha Sunseri for Yahoo Sports. When
- [Homage to Sutro Baths.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/15/homage-to-sutro-baths/) - Anne Nickel Cannady was born and raised in Minnesota but has lived an international life. Over the past 20 years she has worked in brand strategy, culture, innovation and immersive experience design with start-ups and leading brands including Starbucks, Avalon Bay, Choice Hotels, Royal Caribbean, and Honda to name just a few. And she’s lived
- [Spacehive.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/10/13/spacehive/) - Chris Gourlay is founder of Spacehive, the world's first crowdfunding platform for projects that improve the civic environment. Spacehive aids local fundraising efforts by matching them with funding sources from civic councils, companies and foundations. Over 45 of them. What makes Spacehive so unique is that it can positively impact a community far larger than
- [Skylight studios.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/04/13/skylight-studios/) - Stephanie Blake is the CEO of Skylight Studios and an historian at heart. That’s what she studied at Yale, much to her parents’ dismay. They didn’t understand how she could leverage history into a career. But she has. In a big way. Skylight Studios has built a business on taking short-term leases on large, derelict
- [I finally found my tribe.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/07/27/i-finally-found-my-tribe/) - Jim is an infill developer and sustainable development advisor based in Sonoma County, California. Known for his aspirational but practical approach, he works with a range of tools and best practices to communicate the value of inspired design and sustainability within the realities of local market norms. With over forty years experience as an urban
- [Amped Kitchens.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/11/10/amped-kitchens/) - In 2015, Mott Smith pivoted his development focus towards commercial food prep and co-founded Amped Kitchens. At the time, Los Angeles’ food industry was expanding rapidly and he saw an opportunity to provide turnkey food production space to both new startups and existing food companies. It took two years, working with the L.A. County, the
- [Greenfields are boring.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/23/greenfields-are-boring/) - Adrian G. Washington is the founder and CEO of Neighborhood Development Company (NDC). Their mission is to develop exciting residential and commercial properties that cultivate vibrant communities. What does that mean? And how does a developer do that? Well, that's what Adrian and I talk about so listen in. Adrian has over 30 years of
- [Hedge funds and the Housing Crisis.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/08/08/hedge-funds-and-the-housing-crisis/) - “America’s housing crisis is a longstanding problem. But recent reports of private hedge funds buying up detached houses and townhouses is likely to make an already difficult situation even worse. When hedge funds purchase such properties, those homes are not likely to come back on the real estate market. They are gone for now—and probably for the
- [Unpacking the housing crisis.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/06/unpacking-the-housing-crisis/) - We’re all hearing about the affordable housing crisis constantly these days, but for many homeowners, investors and renters alike, it’s a confusing and overwhelming topic. Understanding more about the causes and trends in the affordable housing crisis might help accelerate solutions to this problem as well as opportunities for real estate investors. For housing to
- [Investing capital in building community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/07/investing-capital-in-building-community/) - Urban areas face unique development challenges Property development in urban areas faces a wealth of challenges. City permitting, construction and noise ordinances, and outrageous land acquisition costs all come to mind when considering urban development and renewal. One hurdle you face more often in older cities is that older areas were primarily developed in the
- [Peeling the onion.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/08/peeling-the-onion/) - Why communities succeed or fail It's impossible to solve a problem as complicated as community development without a full understanding of what makes communities succeed or fail. When most investors look at a neighborhood, they check standard metrics like employment rates, crime prevalence, school district numbers, etc. These numbers provide a picture- but not the
- [Millennials and micro homes.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/09/millenials-and-micro-homes/) - The real estate world is abuzz with chatter about alternative development strategies. Current challenges in affordability, sustainability, and community well-being require innovative solutions. Developers can redefine and reinvigorate communities by embracing fresh attitudes and techniques. Socially sustainable development As millennials enter the housing market for the first time, they are increasingly looking for alternate methods
- [Opportunity Zones for everyone.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/13/opportunity-zones-for-everyone/) - Opportunity Zone funds are a hot topic in the real investment world. These funds appeared as a result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This legislation included a provision that designated 8,700 census tracts in the United States as Opportunity Zones - areas with less than average direct investment and economic growth. Investing
- [Why community capital matters.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/13/why-community-capital-matters/) - When discussing why underserved communities tend to stay that way, insufficient access to capital is the elephant in the room. Traditionally, to secure funding for say, a multifamily apartment building, or a new retail shopping center, one would have to go through conventional lenders, private equity firms, venture capital groups, or independent angel investors. What
- [Looking past the bottom line.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/13/looking-past-the-bottom-line/) - The worlds of property development and environmental sustainability are becoming inextricably linked. Historically, developers and environmental advocates were at odds with each other. They fought (and still fight) over hot-button issues like preserving wildlife habitat, pollution and waste, density, and a whole host of other social, environmental, and political concerns that arise when developing land
- [Make your impact count.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/18/make-your-impact-count/) - Impact investing is having a moment. Investors as well-heeled as Bill Gates, and as humble as your average college kid, are trying to find ways to "save the world" while also generating returns. This newfound desire to use the markets to affect change is a positive development, but like any other investment, impact or not,
- [Ripe for disruption.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/20/ripe-for-disruption/) - For many years the dirtiest word in the real estate development lexicon was innovation. Industry players were set in their ways and approached community development in the same manner, over and over. Like many other industries- from automobiles to airplanes- reality hits at some point. The old ways of doing things become less and less
- [Fighting gentrification.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/22/fighting-gentrification/) - Fighting gentrification with socially conscious capital investments Anyone paying even cursory attention to the real estate markets over the past ten years would think that things are going pretty well. Many metro areas, from San Jose to Tampa, are seeing substantial home value growth with many parts of the country hitting double-digits. However, with growth
- [Attacking homelessness.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/26/attacking-homelessness/) - The homeless crisis in the United States is reaching epic proportions. Despite continued economic growth across almost all sectors, more than half a million Americans are homeless, and millions more suffer from housing insecurity along with other issues stemming from the high cost of housing. According to CityLab, there is not a single major metro
- [Confronting NIMBY-ism.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/29/confronting-nimbyism/) - Confronting NIMBY-ism with community-oriented development strategies If you've been paying even the slightest attention to the housing market, you know that we are in the midst of a housing crisis. Cities across the country are experiencing heightened levels of homelessness and housing insecurity, with the problem being most severe in West Coast cities like Los
- [On the periphery.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/02/on-the-periphery/) - Finding value-driven real estate investments on the periphery In real estate, there is no risk without reward. The traditional view is that developing in high-end commercial and residential markets, like Manhattan in New York City or the Financial District in San Francisco, is less risky than developing in a community with less financial resources. However,
- [Reinventing housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/05/reinventing-housing/) - Market conditions necessitate a radical shift in the way we think about housing as investors. While creeping housing bloat has afflicted the broader market for decades, the trend towards urbanism and millennial-driven demand for centrally located, affordable living spaces has led to the rise of alternative housing developments- and alternative financing and investment paths. The
- [Development as art.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/09/development-as-art/) - Real estate development as art When you think of art, you probably think of Picasso or Matisse, not property developers like Mill Creek Residential or Greystar Real Estate Partners. Despite popular perception, real estate development is an inherently artistic endeavor. Some of the greatest artists in human history, people like Brunelleschi, Michaelangelo, and Da Vinci,
- [Investing in nature.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/12/investing-in-nature/) - The natural environment and real estate investment When it comes to housing, for many years, concerns about the natural environment were low on the list of priorities for developers. Community-builders saw the natural environment as a backdrop for their projects rather than a critical element in their design and function. Think gated developments set within
- [Is revitalization a dirty word?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/16/is-revitalization-a-dirty-word/) - Revitalization, gentrification, and displacement are now a mainstay in the heated national conversation about housing. For many years urban renewal and revival were sold as cure-alls for improving economically vulnerable neighborhoods in big cities from New York to Oakland. Unfortunately, the effort to bring new life to these areas was more successful than anyone predicted.
- [The democratization of finance.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/19/the-democratization-of-finance/) - Throughout history finance has been the province of emperors and kings. Later it included the merchant classes and the new aristocracy born of the Industrial Revolution. Your average Joe only really got involved in investing during the stock craze of the 1920s. Even today the average investor holds assets in a small subset of classes
- [Trends in multigenerational living.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/23/trends-in-multigenerationl-living/) - How the trend toward multigenerational living will change real estate development The concept of the single-generation, single-family home is in decline. Over the past four decades or so, the total percentage of Americans living with family members has increased from 12% in 1980, to 20% in 2019. Experts have not reached a consensus as to
- [Private capital. The solution to housing affordability.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/26/private-capital-the-solution-to-housing-affordability/) - Three principal actors are tackling the housing affordability crisis in the United States- government entities, nonprofits and investors. The issues arising from housing instability and affordability are complex, and a patchwork approach is necessary to make a dent in the problem. With that being said, investors should be aware of their crucial role in alleviating
- [Securing housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/30/securing-housing/) - Homelessness and housing insecurity are among the greatest challenges facing our communities. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, in their 2018 Annual Homeless Assessment, reported that there were more than 550,000 homeless men, women, and children in the United States. Numerous factors contribute to the growing homeless crisis. The primary drivers include the
- [Challenges of natural affordable housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/06/challenges-of-natural-affordable-housing/) - We all know that many areas in the US are suffering from an affordability crisis but what's less known is the impact of broader economic influences on weak versus strong sub-markets within a single city or region. Housing affordability issues are incredibly complex, and they take different forms depending on how well the overall economy
- [Shaping a sustainable environment.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/09/shaping-a-sustainable-environment/) - Developers and architects have the opportunity to sell a new vision of sustainability in the United States. Many people see private capital and sustainability as fundamentally at odds with each other. Some even question the value that developers, architects and investors bring to the community building or redevelopment process. But civic-minded investors have the opportunity
- [Can Opportunity Zones provide opportunity?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/13/can-opportunity-zones-provide-opportunity/) - Since the first New Deal housing policies emerged in the 1930s, governments from the municipal level all the way up to the federal government have sought ways to help alleviate the lack of affordable in this country. While there have been many successes, there have also been notable missteps. Infamous projects like Queensbridge in New
- [Taking the best path forward.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/16/taking-the-best-path-forward/) - Nowadays, you can't throw a stone without hitting a "socially conscious" or "socially responsible" residential development project. Let's assume for a second that most of the firms involved in these projects are genuinely interested in making a difference while making a profit. The question remains: why aren't we seeing a substantive change in the amount
- [Create, don't destroy.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/27/blight-removal-through-creation-not-destruction/) - The term "blight removal" conjures up images of construction cranes knocking down homes, displacement, and gentrification. But blight can take many forms and its removal has many remedies. Preservation of seemingly dilapidated structures can invigorate and reinforce a community’s value and sense of place. Historic preservation Instead of knocking down older buildings with neighborhood character,
- [Investors as educators.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/04/investors-as-educators/) - Most people have some familiarity with the process of buying real estate, either through popular media or their own experiences purchasing a home. But when you enter the world of commercial property development and investment, there is a "lingua franca" that is unique to the real estate business. While there may be a justifiable need
- [Making allies, not opponents.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/07/making-allies-not-opponents/) - Impact investing is a relatively new phenomenon. Community-minded entrepreneurs who strive to be socially responsible are independently coming up with innovative solutions to solve or alleviate problems across the country. They are tackling issues like housing insecurity, the deleterious effects of suburban sprawl and environmental concerns related to housing. While every project is different, there
- [The rise of prefab.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/11/the-rise-of-prefab/) - The residential and commercial building industry has changed radically in the last few decades, following the pattern of many other vital sectors of the US economy. Two of the developments that the industry has been focused on, which happen to be interlinked, are prefabrication and offsite construction. Coupled with this, vertical integration is a focus
- [Embracing Smart Homes.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/18/embracing-smart-homes/) - We’ve always thought of housing as shelter and little more. Now we are on the cusp of a massive cultural shift here in the United States, and soon we’ll expect our homes to be much more than a place to hang our hat at the end of the day. It seems that the possibilities are
- [Bite-sized investments.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/21/bite-sized-investments/) - Equity crowdfunding is changing the real estate development landscape. Importantly, beyond raising equity, crowdfunding can help build support within communities that may otherwise hold neutral or even hostile feelings towards the building of a new real estate project. Micro-investments via crowdfunding platforms give community residents and stakeholders the opportunity to participate in and take ownership
- [Closing loopholes for better neighborhoods.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/25/closing-loopholes-for-better-neighborhoods/) - Unfortunately, loopholes are far too easy to find in the real estate development industry. They are hiding in plain sight in lots of places. Taxation, zoning, affordable housing programs or even government incentives jointly provide an abundance of loopholes and unscrupulous developers will find a way to take advantage of them. For many years, unethical,
- [Small lots. One solution to the housing problem.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/01/small-lots-one-solution-to-the-housing-problem/) - At times the housing crisis can seem just insurmountable. Upwards of 11 million Americans spend half of their monthly take-home pay in rent, an increase of more than 30% over the last five years. Almost 25% of housing markets across the country are considered to be unaffordable for the vast majority of citizens. Many different
- [A perfect union. Technology and housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/04/a-perfect-union-technology-and-housing/) - Much has been written about the ability of technology to change our lives. But decades into the digital revolution, the results of technological advancement have a mixed track record at best. Every productivity gain or positive connection brought by new tech, is countered by harms such as hacking, service and product outages, and the unprecedented
- [Crushing urban innovation.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/08/crushing-urban-innovation/) - Institutional lenders have their place when it comes to commercial real estate finance. They are the primary source of loans for real estate projects and they offer a wide array of business and development-oriented services as well, all of which are definitely needed. But traditional lenders are not particularly well-suited to solving development challenges in
- [Innovation in real estate. An inevitability.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/15/innovation-in-real-estate-an-inevitability/) - In order to keep a-pace with the quickly changing world, the real estate development industry needs to change. One way is to focus on strategies for business model innovation. Let's take a look at a few forward-thinking real estate development and investment firms that are leveraging technology and modern business strategies to create sustainable development
- [The poverty trap.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/18/the-poverty-trap/) - Let’s talk about the concept of mixed-income development. Sometimes mixed-income projects are viewed as the first step toward displacement or gentrification. And to be honest, these fears are not entirely unfounded. The introduction of mixed-income developments was the first step in many rapidly gentrifying areas, followed by luxury housing and upmarket conversions that lifted property
- [Digital finance and the revolution in impact investing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/02/digital-finance-and-the-revolution-in-impact-investing/) - Impact investing has grown from a quaint, niche idea to a powerful force inside the world of finance. At one time the thought of aligning investment goals with social responsibility seemed like an excellent way to turn a large fortune into a small fortune. These days, changing investor sentiment aligned with the “good” coupled with
- [Elected officials and place-making.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/06/elected-officials-and-place-making/) - Most elected officials have no background in real estate development, architecture, design or place-making. Their knowledge extends no further than the home mortgage process. It should come as no surprise then that elected officials have little if no civic skills. Politicians are elected based on their charm and popularity - not on their ability to
- [Political infrastructure and investment potential.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/12/political-infrastructure-and-investment-potential/) - When investigating a community to determine its investment potential, there are a number of factors to consider. These might include physical, social, economic, development, and political infrastructure for a start. While all factors play a part in this evaluation, political structure is perhaps the most important criteria to consider. Unfortunately, it’s also one that’s often
- [The impact of Reg A+.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/16/the-impact-of-reg-a/) - Historically, investing in startups and real estate has only been available to accredited investors. Accredited investors are those that, due to income, net worth, assets, or professional experience, have special privileges when it comes to financial regulations. Recent legislation, however, has aimed to make investing more accessible to all potential investors. The 2012 Jumpstart Our
- [The power of incremental development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/13/the-power-of-incremental-development/) - It’s often thought that community development and revitalization can only come from major projects, substantial policy changes, or top-down adjustments and actions. But there’s another powerful way to change and revive communities, and that is through incremental development. The concept is a simple one, rooted in the idea of starting small and building upon small
- [Investing for good.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/24/investing-for-good/) - More and more, investors want to do more than make money. They want to invest in triple bottom line projects that are socially responsible as well. Environment, Social and Governance (“ESG”) investing is a rapidly expanding investment category and already offers a wide array of opportunities, many of which produce competitive returns. Unfortunately, many investors
- [When public outcry drives change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/27/when-public-outcry-drives-change/) - We’re facing significant challenges in the housing and real estate market these days. And still it seems hard to convince people that change is necessary to respond to the enormous challenges of climate change and the affordable housing crisis. This is especially true in the real estate industry, where trends and practices have developed over
- [The power of public design.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/31/the-power-of-public-design/) - Public design is for everyone. This is the design of spaces within communities, neighborhoods and cities that all of us get to enjoy. Public buildings, civic spaces and parks, green boulevards and even infrastructure such as sidewalks, roads, bridges and transit stations that we all access on a daily basis. The idea of public design
- [Mobility, real estate and equity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/03/mobility-real-estate-and-equity-2/) - The connection between access to transportation, whether public transit or freeways, and the value of real estate has long been understood. Build a subway station or a highway on-ramp, and development rapidly grows up around it. However, the connection between mobility, a far broader and contemporary concept of transportation and access, and equity, has never
- [A different kind of mobility conference.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/07/a-different-kind-of-mobility-conference/) - The 2019 Mobiliti Conference, hosted in Pittsburgh, was described by one of its organizers, Karina Ricks, as “a conference, a workshop [and a] co-creation kind of event.” What resulted, she said, were great insights and innovative ideas and actionable steps that should help both individuals and communities gain increased access to mobility options. In fact,
- [Affordable and sustainable through simple reduction.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/10/affordable-and-sustainable-through-simple-reduction/) - The crisis in affordable housing and the growing awareness of climate change both loom large as increasingly pressing issues. Both real estate investors and homebuyers are increasingly interested in housing that can be both affordable and sustainable. However, most people believe that the two are mutually exclusive – that much higher costs are required to
- [Public-private partnerships and affordable housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/24/public-private-partnerships-and-affordable-housing/) - We are facing a unique and complex set of problems that have combined to create the perfect storm for housing - an affordable housing crisis that is affecting not just US citizens, but people everywhere. We need to find plentiful and innovative solutions. Because the lack of affordable housing is the result of so many
- [Learning by doing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/02/learning-by-doing/) - With any project, learning from success and failure is important. In real estate, paying attention to and making adjustments based on what works and what doesn’t can have a major impact on the success of both current and future projects. This is especially true for projects that involve unique problems or complex issues that lack
- [The importance of community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/09/the-importance-of-community/) - When we think about housing, especially in urban areas, we’re not just thinking about a place to rest our head. Instead, housing must include some broader amenities, such as access to transportation, services and jobs. And even more importantly, as more and more people move back from the suburbs to urban neighborhoods, there is an
- [Back to wood construction.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/16/back-to-wood-construction/) - As the creation of affordable and sustainable housing becomes increasingly urgent, focus has shifted to innovative ways to meet these goals. I found one such example in Amsterdam where Marc Koehler and his design team develop creative solutions for urban living through their Superlofts Project. Broadly speaking, a Superlofts project starts with the bare structural
- [Why choose?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/23/why-choose/) - It’s becoming increasingly important for investors of all levels to make socially conscious investments ensuring that their investments align with their values. Broadly referred to as impact investing, this type of investing means supporting organizations, businesses and projects that will have a positive social or environmental impact. While impact investing has historically been associated with
- [Public space. The heart of the city.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/30/public-space-the-heart-of-the-city/) - There are numerous factors that city planners, politicians, developers and designers consider when planning cities; from infrastructure to transit to the creation of residential, commercial and retail space, all to draw new businesses and residents. But often the last thing to be considered, and yet perhaps the most critical component in any city neighborhood, is
- [The power of modular building.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/20/the-power-of-modular-building/) - As builders, architects, urban planners all look for innovative ways to create both affordable and sustainable housing, some new homeowners have been looking to the efficiencies of modular construction as one potential solution. While pre-fab (for pre-fabrication) is a general term for building components that are created in a factory to be assembled on site,
- [Smart money is on impact.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/27/smart-money-is-on-impact/) - Simply put, impact investing is the practice of using investment dollars to generate positive social or environmental impacts in addition to offering a competitive financial return. The idea that we can do far more with our money than merely reap monetary dividends is important, and has grown popular recently, steadily gaining traction with investors, whether
- [Catalytic in Appalachia.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/04/catalytic-in-appalachia/) - Generational poverty is a complex problem with no single, easy-to-apply solution. Unlike circumstantial poverty, resulting from a specific event, like an illness or temporary loss of a job, generational poverty involves multiple generations of family and community lacking either the accumulated assets, education or resources on which to build. And in Appalachia, this condition pervades
- [Small versus big.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/11/small-versus-big/) - There's a history to small-scale development. It's what we did for centuries until industrial modernism brought large-scale development to our cities. Large-scale development The scale and cost of large developments falls into the realm of large-scale developers, and not always good ones. They have been the protagonists in the rapid transformation of our urban environment.
- [The mobility landscape.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/08/the-mobility-landscape/) - Mobility and transportation are inextricably linked to real estate and land use. Why? Because the largest proportion of most people’s incomes are spent on these two things alone. This is why the demand for walkable urban neighborhoods just keeps growing. But mobility is all about volumetrics. In dense urban areas, there are limiting factors to
- [One project at a time](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/01/one-project-at-a-time/) - Pittsburgh, a beautiful city at the confluence of three rivers, once had twice the population it has now. De-industrialization and loss of employment, namely the collapse of the steel industry, saw a rapid decline in population during the 1980s. A wealthy industrial history left Pittsburgh rich with culture and endowed with medical centres, museums, parks
- [Mobility and disaster resilience.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/22/mobility-and-disaster-resilience/) - Many people struggle to find convenient transportation options. They may have personal mobility issues or maybe they have to travel from work late at night when buses no longer run. Or they may live far enough away from a transit stop to not be able to walk there easily. Compound that with a pandemic, such
- [Re-designing design.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/15/re-designing-design/) - Once upon a time design and architecture were quite discrete disciplines. But over the years as educational priorities have been re-defined, they have become more complex and collaborative. We’ve adopted an inter-disciplinary approach to skills and knowledge that requires creativity, innovation and the ability to solve problems. Teaching is steadily moving towards a more collaborative
- [Technology, finance and inclusion.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/29/technology-finance-and-inclusion/) - There’s been a major shift in the way our financial systems work. FinTech, short for Financial Technology, or the use of technology in finance, is fast becoming the new normal. Increased connectivity and reliance on technology has brought with it a demand for new financial products, blurring the lines between traditional banking and less traditional
- [The role of architects in building communities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/13/the-role-of-architects-in-building-communities/) - America is such a diverse country. It encompasses geographic locations as diverse as the Mississippi delta, Bethel in Alaska, New York City, San Antonio in Texas, Hawaii and the Great Lakes. And it encompasses even more diversity in its community types -- from rural to tribal to suburban and urban. But despite this diversity there
- [Building a strong community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/20/building-a-strong-community/) - A strong community is not built with one particular idea or project. There are many actors, ideas, visions and amenities that must come together to build a strong community. The Mayor A strong mayor can be instrumental to making change in a community. She must have a clear and strategic vision and she must have
- [Rent to buy.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/27/rent-to-buy/) - How do we address the affordable housing crisis? There are lessons to be learned from all over the world. Kris Daff, in Melbourne, Australia, is developing an important solution. Australia’s housing market is very expensive and lack of tenure in the rental market results in significant levels of housing anxiety. At the same time, Kris,
- [The high cost of free parking.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/14/the-high-cost-of-free-parking/) - Various studies indicate that approximately 30 percent of city land in the United States is allocated to parking. The Department of Urban Planning has estimated that New York City alone has approximately three million on-street parking spaces. Interestingly, only 3 percent of them have meters. Let’s get this straight. While housing costs are rising, often
- [Equity and parking requirements.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/21/equity-and-parking-requirements/) - Zoning, which dictates minimum off-street parking requirements for new and old buildings alike, has led to over 30% of our cities being given over to parking lots. While these parking requirements make for better parking, they make everything else worse. There is no science to parking requirements. Every city adopts its own zoning rules and
- [Reimagining the role of real estate development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/28/reimagining-the-role-of-real-estate-development/) - The affordable housing crisis in the United States is affecting more people than you might think. For many Americans, across many income spectrums, a modest apartment is a cost burden and out of reach. There are multiple factors that have contributed to this affordability crisis. Wages have not kept up with rents, fiscal policy has
- [Adaptive re-use.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/05/adaptive-re-use/) - To adaptively re-use a building is to re-imagine and re-purpose it. Often old, historic buildings have outlived their original purpose. They can be demolished or brought back to life and adapted to contemporary life. And there are compelling reasons to re-use historic buildings. Sustainable The adaptive re-use of buildings is inherently green. It’s a form
- [Power mapping and impact.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/19/power-mapping-and-impact/) - Impact investing has grown globally in both depth and sophistication and is now valued at $USD715 billion according to a 2020 study by Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). But there are still many challenges. Here in the US, most of those funds are invested into cities and gentrifying areas, and although many low-income communities are
- [Empowered through the Blockchain.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/26/empowered-through-the-blockchain/) - The blockchain is not as complicated as you might think. “Blocks” are just digital pieces of information and the “chain” is the public database where the blocks are stored. The block Each block (or digital piece of information) might include transactions, participants, dates, times or identifying information. This doesn’t necessarily reveal your name as the
- [The power of cities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/02/the-power-of-cities/) - The world is reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic downturns. Add to this levels of civil unrest not seen since the 1960s and governments which are more ideologically polarized than ever before. How then do we collaborate to solve the enormously complex problems of our times? The federal government
- [Change accelerated.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/16/change-accelerated/) - Over the last few years something has become pretty clear. The internet has infiltrated our lives, with a steady shift towards online shopping, remote work and more. Now, a pandemic has cemented and accelerated these shifts in the way we live and work. They are no longer gradual but have been condensed and forced upon us.
- [Triple bottom line development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/23/triple-bottom-line-development/) - Triple Bottom Line The term was coined some twenty-five years ago by John Elkington, author of 19 books, co-founder of Environmental Data Services and SustainAbility, and a pioneer of the global sustainability movement. Traditionally, investors were only concerned with profit, but the concept that investment can also be socially and environmentally beneficial is one that
- [Why ADUs are a good idea.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/30/why-adus-are-a-good-idea/) - What’s an ADU? It’s a granny flat or a mother-in-law unit, now more widely known as an Accessory Dwelling Unit and usually built as an additional living unit in the backyard of a single-family home. ADUs are typically small, so that they can fit neatly into a backyard, with a compact and efficient floor plan
- [Quadruple the pace.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/12/07/quadruple-the-pace/) - Housing shortages are not a new thing in California. California has suffered from housing shortages since the 1970s. By 2018, the shortfall was estimated to be at around 3 - 4 million. This shortfall is at all levels of affordability but especially so for low- and moderate- income people. According to the annual report by
- [Urban economics.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/12/14/urban-economics/) - Simply put, urban economics is the study of buildings and cities and why they develop the way they do. Urban economics help us to determine why certain places are so much more vital than others through the exploration of land-use, zoning, employment patterns, and the price of land. Over the last century cities have experienced
- [Sharing luxury.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/11/sharing-luxury/) - Have you ever imagined spending the weekend in a grand luxury estate in the country? America’s luxury estates were built in the late 1800s during ‘The Gilded Age’, a term made popular by Mark Twain. After the Civil War, with the onset of industrialization, the nation enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, Great fortunes were amassed with the
- [The third way.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/25/the-third-way/) - Many people may be familiar with the broader concepts of real estate development, but what effect does the way in which a project is financed have on the final outcome? For profit Property development has long been a business enterprise. Like all investment, it’s all about risk and reward. For-profit developers take all the risks in
- [Investing in community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/08/investing-in-community/) - Community investment plays an important role in helping to make our cities more equitable and sustainable. Community investment contributes to economic vitality, affordable housing and the overall liveability of all communities. Often it is a necessary piece of the capital stack in under-served communities, where soft markets make it difficult to raise sufficient conventional financing
- [Why modular construction?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/22/why-modular-construction/) - Modular construction is the construction of buildings using modules or prefabricated sections. Manufactured off-site, using assembly line production, modules are fabricated from standard building materials and are built to meet or exceed the building codes of conventional buildings. They can be manufactured without compromising on quality and can meet sophisticated design specifications, including matching existing
- [The potential of unused space.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/03/08/the-potential-of-unused-space/) - The US may be facing the most severe housing crisis in its history. Restrictive building regulations and zoning have pushed real estate prices out of reach for more and more Americans. The problem, which has been growing for the last fifty years, has been sharply accelerated by the pandemic. While some progress is being made,
- [Between renting and home ownership.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/03/29/between-renting-and-home-ownership/) - Home ownership has traditionally been considered a part of the American dream, providing economic benefits such as wealth accumulation, access to credit and a built-in saving system. Home ownership also provides housing security and a connection to place. But many Americans may never own a home. The challenges for first-time home buyers, skewed worse for
- [Housing in the middle.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/12/housing-in-the-middle/) - Zoning in America. It’s a vast set of regulations which determines where and what you can build, how high and how close to your property line your building can be, how much of your land you can occupy, how much parking you need to provide and what type of tenant can occupy your property. Once
- [Jumpstart desegregation.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/26/jumpstart-desegregation/) - The United States has an ugly history of displacement, exclusion, and segregation which continues to this day. Blacks continue to be denied the same opportunities that are given to whites for affordable rental, home ownership and wealth building. While many may believe that this state of affairs somehow occurred organically, the truth is that Federal,
- [Happier housing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/10/happier-housing/) - In her book, Brave New Home, Diana Lind argues that the single-family home is at least partly to blame for our current housing woes. “A fundamental part of the American dream is to own a single-family home. But this aspiration and the lifestyle that comes with it has grown increasingly unaffordable, unhealthy, and ironically out
- [Investing locally.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/07/19/investing-locally/) - Vibrant, thriving communities need locally owned businesses. Local businesses can create a vigorous local economy, provide more jobs and reduce poverty. In the US private sector, small businesses produce two out of three jobs and generate approximately fifty percent of the GDP. And locally owned businesses also give rise to more civic engagement, higher voter
- [3D printed houses.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/11/08/3d-printed-houses/) - 3D printing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a digital model, and it’s now being used in a multitude of applications -- from aircraft components to running shoes, cars to orthopaedic implants and prosthetic limbs. And one of the latest to come to market is houses. You can now live in a home printed
- [More housing, less parking (in Toronto).](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/28/more-housing-less-parking-in-toronto/) - “Sending a clear message that cars are finally taking a backseat in Toronto planning, City Council has just changed regulations for parking spots” writes Erin Nicole Davis for STOREYS. “Late yesterday, the City announced it has adopted zoning bylaw amendments that will remove most requirements for new developments to provide a minimum number of parking
- [Why transit matters.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/04/04/why-transit-matters/) - “Public transportation is nothing new, but with modern technology, cities can create better infrastructures like never before.” Remix City living has many advantages with cultural attractions, restaurants and nightlife topping the list. But what are those amenities worth if you can’t get to them easily? Good infrastructure is equally as important and by that, of
- [Impact investing. More than a fad.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/30/impact-investing-more-than-a-fad/) - “Impact investing is a major topic on investors’ radar screen, boasting huge growth, and widespread acceptance among those seeking to align their portfolios with their personal values. But impact investing has always been more than a fad.” writes James Lumberg for Investopedia. Impact investing, or socially responsible investing (SRI), has been around for longer than
- [Sustainable, affordable and beautiful.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/12/15/sustainable-affordable-beautiful/) - “If you want to build something that is both affordable and sustainable,” says Jeremy McLeod, “every project manager in Melbourne will tell you you can’t do it.” Jeremy is the founding Director of Breathe Architecture, a world class architecture firm in Melbourne, Australia, delivering fabulous projects to its clients. They have built a reputation for delivering
- [The beginning.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/06/27/the-beginning/) - I'm Eve Picker and my life is rich with urban (ad)ventures, I’ve developed a dozen buildings in blighted neighborhoods, founded a non-profit called cityLAB and built Pittsburgh’s first tiny house, organized a speaker series, launched a Pittsburgh e-zine called Pop City, and established downtown Pittsburgh’s first co-working space. I also co-founded Pittsburgh’s wildly successful Open Streets program. All of these experiences have helped me become
- [Let's change our mindset.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/15/lets-change-our-mindset/) - Sandy Wiggins works at the intersection of three movements – green building, new economies, and thriving resilient communities. His company, Consilience, is a national consultancy with a mission to build environmentally, socially and economically sustainable buildings and communities. After decades as a traditional and highly successful developer, Sandy reinvented himself as a leader in sustainability
- [Share the wealth.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/15/share-the-wealth/) - Brian Beckon believes we should share the wealth. Brian is an attorney with over twenty-five years of experience working for nonprofits, start-ups, and publicly-traded companies. When he was starting out as a young attorney, he wanted to find a way to make the world better. Now, as principal at Cutting Edge Capital, he focuses on
- [Striving for justice in Arizona.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/15/justice-in-arizona/) - Kimber Lanning is dedicated to making Arizona a world class destination and is fiercely proud of the culture of the region. Specifically, Kimber hates injustice. She wants to leave Arizona a better and more just place than she found it. To this end, Kimber founded both Local First Arizona and Local First Arizona Foundation, two
- [Hungry for disruption.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/24/hungry-for-disruption/) - Jason is founder and CEO of Building Blocks, a turnkey accessory dwelling unit design-build firm in Los Angeles which he formed with John. He also consults as a project manger for RNLA and has had a major role in the Bungalow Gardens project. Jason has worked as a redevelopment and planning professional for over 12 years in both
- [Embedded in community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/07/embedded-in-community/) - Brian Murray is the CEO and Founder of Shift Capital, a Certified B-­Corp impact real estate group headquartered in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, and focused on aligning capital and philanthropy with underserved communities. Brian didn’t start his career in real estate. He started his career at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers as an auditor and quickly moved into
- [Lead by example.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/14/lead-by-example/) - Jonathan Tate leads by example. I met Jonathan through my crowdfunding platform Small Change, where he raised funds for several of his project in New Orleans. With his New Orleans architectural practice, Jonathan focuses on architecture, planning and odd opportunities such as what to do with odd-shaped lots that no-one knows what to do with. I
- [The power of design.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/08/21/the-power-of-design/) - Christine Mondor describes herself as an eternal optimist regarding the power of design in shaping sustainable cities. And that's what she has been working on for the past 15 years. She is using the power of design as an architect, educator and activist to shape places, processes and organizations nationally and internationally. As a principal
- [The zoning whisperer.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/18/the-zoning-whisperer/) - Read the podcast transcript here Eve Picker : [00:00:09] Hi there. Thanks for joining me on Rethink Real Estate. I'm on a mission to make real estate work for everyone. Real estate can help to solve climate change, can house people affordably, can create beautiful streetscapes, unify neighborhoods and enliven cities. So I'm on a
- [Living the Jetson life.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/09/25/living-the-jetson-life/) - Jennifer Castensen is the vice president of programming at Hanley Wood, a company which serves the construction and design industry through their analytics-driven Construction Industry Database. In this capacity, she provides leadership and collaboration across all verticals in the building products industry to drive innovation. Castenson establishes themes and coordinates content from Metrostudy and Meyers
- [The contrarian developer.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/09/the-contrarian-developer/) - Scott Choppin is the founder of the Urban Pacific Group of Companies, a Long Beach, CA based real estate development company. Founded in 2000, Urban Pacific focuses exclusively on urban infill and affordable housing communities throughout California and the western US. Over the last 18 years, the company has developed nearly 1,700 units of unique
- [Connecting impact and creativity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/16/connecting-impact-and-creativity/) - Laura Callanan is connecting impact investing to the creative economy. To accomplish this, she founded Upstart Co-Lab. Upstart Co-Lab's goal is to show impact investors that the arts can be a powerful economic driver in communities. Laura brings a powerful background to Upstart Co-Lab. Before launching Upstart Co-Lab, Laura was senior deputy chair of the National Endowment for
- [By right, by design.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/10/30/by-right-by-design/) - I spent a most enjoyable hour recording this podcast with Liz Falletta, who is deeply immersed in the nuances of the Los Angeles building codes and their impact on housing production. Liz just published a book, By-Right l By-Design, an interdisciplinary housing reference text. It studies significant Los Angeles housing design precedents and their related
- [7.4 million short.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/06/7-4-million-short/) - Matt Hoffman's primary interest these days is the intersection of housing and technology. He is an active early-stage investor in companies with tech-enabled solutions that can transform the housing sector in a way that increases affordability and sustainability. And he’s also a founding partner in HEALTH+, a suite of telehealth services bringing healthcare and lower cost
- [Revitalization strategist to barista.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/13/revitalization-strategist-to-barista/) - "Nobody should have to move out of their neighborhood to live in a better one." Majora Carter is an American urban revitalization strategist and broadcast producer/host from the South Bronx in New York. Her career has spanned environment, economy, social mobility, and real estate development. Her work has won major awards in each sector including
- [Digital twins in real estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/11/20/digital-twins-in-real-estate/) - Sandy Selman is a roll-up-the-sleeves, highly strategic and hands-on kind of guy with “big picture” vision and an on-the-ground approach. He’s had plenty of operational experience as an investor, advisor and founder as well as CEO, CFO and Board oversight. He’s not a star-struck young thing wading into the next best technology because it’s cool.
- [Political will and community development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/04/political-will-and-community-development/) - Sadie McKeown is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CPC - Community Preservation Corporation. CPC believes that housing is central to transforming underserved neighborhoods into thriving and vibrant communities. CPC was formed in 1974 by an association of com­mercial banks led by David Rockefeller. They stepped up in direct response to the is­sues of property
- [10,000 homes saved and counting.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/12/11/10000-homes-saved-and-counting/) - Jorge Newbery is founder and CEO of American Homeowner Preservation (AHP) and AHP Servicing and he’s also CEO of the Debt Cleanse Group Legal Services. AHP crowdfunds the purchase of non-performing mortgages from banks at big discounts, then share the discounts with struggling homeowners. The Debt Cleanse Group empowers a cross-country network of attorneys with a
- [Black, white and red(lining).](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/08/black-white-and-redlining/) - Justin Garrett Moore leads a double life that all comes together in one amazing package. In his day job he is executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission. There he helps to guard quality and excellence in public space design - from large-scale urban systems, policies, and projects to grassroots and community-focused planning,
- [Mobility, real estate and equity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/15/mobility-real-estate-and-equity/) - There is a nexus between mobility, real estate and equity - how much one must spend on transport directly relates to how little they have left for real estate and housing. This is the relationship that Karina Ricks explores as the inaugural director of the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Mobility's role
- [Accelerating affordable housing in San Francisco.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/29/accelerating-affordable-housing-in-san-francisco/) - Rebecca Foster is the CEO of the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund. The Accelerator Fund is a public private partnership that helps to finance affordable housing in San Francisco -- in particular the many buildings currently being occupied affordably that are in danger of being purchased, and of their occupants being displaced. The Accelerator Fund
- [Superlofts. Super fantastic.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/05/superlofts-super-fantastic/) - Marc Koehler is the founder of Marc Koehler Architects (MKA) and the creator of the fabulous Superlofts project. The studio is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. While his firm works on many architectural projects, with Superlofts, Marc is stretching his role as an architect. For 15 years, MKA has developed an analytically innovative, research-by-doing approach to
- [She's all in.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/02/12/shes-all-in/) - Janine Firpo is a writer, values-aligned investor, and entrepreneur. She left a career in the tech world many years ago to pursue a more meaningful work experience. This led her into the world of micro-finance and philanthropy. And now, for the last ten years she has been on a personal mission to invest all of her
- [Big change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/04/big-change/) - Ommeed Sathe is a Vice President and head of the Impact Investment unit in the Office of Corporate Social Responsibility at Prudential. He grew up in a family who felt public service, through work or volunteerism, “was fundamental.” And that rubbed off. Just out of Harvard Law School, Ommeed was in New Orleans after Katrina and
- [Scaling up.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/11/scaling-up/) - Brian Gaudio believes that everyone deserves access to good design. The inspiration for starting Module came while he was directing Within Formal Cities – a documentary about the housing crisis in South America, which debuted in 2016. Brian, then a college senior, saw the broader possibility of modular “pay-as-you-go” design. As opposed to simply designing yet another prototype
- [A bold experiment in coal country.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/18/a-bold-experiment-in-coal-country/) - Brandon Dennison founded Coalfield Development in 2011 to offer a unique workforce approach focused on transforming communities - a bold experiment in tackling the generational poverty West Virginia has long wrestled with. This experiment grew out of his early memories while growing up in a comfortable middle-class family in West Virginia. Others were not so
- [Democratizing investment. A huge step forward.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/03/25/democratizing-investment-a-huge-step-forward/) - Mark Roderick describes himself as a very “boring” corporate and securities lawyer, but he's not. Since the JOBS Act of 2012, Mark has spent all of his time in the investment crowdfunding space. Today he is one of the leading crowdfunding and fintech lawyers in the United States. Mark writes a widely-read blog, which offers
- [First in. Towards growth.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/01/first-in-towards-growth/) - Lance Chimka, who became Director of Allegheny County Economic Development (ACED) in 2018, oversees an agency responsible for business expansion, planning, community and real estate development, and affordable housing projects for the second most populous county in Pennsylvania. Born and bred in Pittsburgh, Lance has long been familiar with the changes the region has
- [Mobility is pretty pedestrian.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/08/mobility-is-pretty-pedestrian/) - Gabe Klein has invested his life and career in all facets of urban mobility, both as an entrepreneur and within the halls of city government. Now a consultant and advocate for positive urban change, Gabe co-created Cityfi, in 2016, to help cities adapt to new technologies, sustainability issues and growth using public-private partnerships and market-based
- [Equity is the thread.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/22/equity-is-the-thread/) - John Folan is an architect and teacher like no other I know. He frames his work around issues of the environment, social justice and equity. Not only is his own body of work significant, but he is dedicated to teaching students to be the next generation of thoughtful architects, makers and citizens. John is probably best known
- [The lost art of small-scale development.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/04/29/the-lost-art-of-small-scale-development/) - Jim Kumon co-founded and leads the Incremental Development Alliance, launched in 2015 as a collaboration between two small scale developers who found that people kept asking them the same question: how do I build a small building in the place I love? They joined with Jim to create an organization with the goal of “resurrecting
- [The reluctant planner.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/06/the-reluctant-planner/) - Self-described as a “planning geek” and “transport nerd,” Harriet Tregoning is a veteran smart-growth advocate who has been wrestling with issues of planning, mobility, disaster resilience, housing and community development issues for over two decades. Her work has centered both on resilience in the face of a changing climate, as well as on an economy
- [Advancing financial inclusion. With Fintech.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/13/advancing-financial-inclusion-with-fintech/) - Melissa Koide has described herself as a “policy entrepreneur,” and she is the founder of a relatively new research organization called FinRegLab (2018), an independent non-profit working rigorously to test the technological tools used by the world of financial services. Most specifically, they have been looking at the use of data in credit underwriting. By
- [Home.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/05/27/home/) - Katie Swenson is a Senior Principal at MASS Design. She joined Mass in 2020 after having worked for many years on affordable housing with Enterprise Community Partners on issues of design and sustainability. Her role at MASS, which has built a reputation as a design practice that embraces issues of economic and social equity, is
- [Assemble communities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/17/assemble-communities/) - Kris Daff is a developer with two companies. The first, Make Ventures is a more traditional development company, focused on urban infill. It’s the second that Kris is wildly passionate about, and that passion is wildly contagious. Assemble Communities, a developer and “community manager,” is offering a housing model that sets out to solve the very
- [Of service. In Erie.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/03/of-service-in-erie/) - Christina Marsh is the Chief Community and Economic Development Officer at Erie Insurance. Immersed in her organization's community development work, much of it in their home base of Erie, in Pennsylvania, Chris works directly with CEO Timothy NeCastro to lead and plan targeted revitalization efforts. She helped create the Erie Downtown Development Corp (EDDC), also
- [Parking not required.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/06/24/parking-not-required/) - Donald Shoup’s large body of work centers on the connected urban issues of parking, transportation, public finance and land economics. A Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA, he is perhaps best known for two books: The High Cost of Free Parking (2005), which turned an otherwise academic topic into a significant policy issue; and as the
- [Choose your own rent.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/07/01/choose-your-own-rent/) - Born and raised in Baltimore, Thibault Manekin embodies a healthy idealism which has helped drive the choices he has made, and now, the career he has embraced. He describes his company Seawall Development, as a team of “social entrepreneurs who happen to be in real estate,” noting that real estate touches everyone. His goal, through
- [No guilt. Just action.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/02/no-guilt-just-action/) - Cynthia Muller is the Director of Mission Investment at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation based out of Battle Creek, Michigan. Described as a “thought leader of the impact investing ecosystem and a trailblazer in the field,” Cynthia has been at Kellogg since 2016, first serving as a program officer with their Mission Driven Investments division, then
- [Cities are networks.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/16/cities-are-networks/) - Over the last 25 years, Bruce Katz has established himself as one of the foremost policy experts working on urban and metro areas. He founded the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, whose work has helped to reshape and revitalize several cities in the U.S. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at Drexel University,
- [Saving places.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/23/saving-places/) - Patrice Frey is President and CEO of the National Main Street Center, where she oversees the Center’s work. Patrice and her team offer programs and guidance on placemaking, local entrepreneurship, facade improvements, crowdfunding and green rehabs to their network of approximately 1,800 members, all in service of revitalizing commercial main streets in both big cities
- [From here to there.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/09/30/from-here-to-there/) - Katie Faulkner has been working for twenty-five years on spaces and buildings for education, working, living and healthcare. Design is in her blood. In 2017, she received the Boston Society of Architect's Women in Design Award, the criteria of which describe her life, her sentiments and her goals to a 'T.' She is a person
- [Jumpstarting a community.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/07/jumpstarting-a-community/) - Ken Weinstein is a highly respected entrepreneur and developer based in the Philadelphia metro area. He is the founder and president of Philly Office Retail, an organization which has renovated and restored over 300 vacant and deteriorated properties and now owns and manages more than 800,000 square feet of space. "I was really inspired by
- [Back to the Future!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/14/back-to-the-future/) - Christopher Leinberger has had a singular career embedded in urban land use issues – as a strategist, teacher, developer, researcher and author. Recently retired from academia, he most recently taught at George Washington University as the Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar & Research Professor and chair of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis. His
- [The elephant in the region.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/21/the-elephant-in-the-region/) - Having joined Enterprise Community Partners in 2011, Heather Hood currently oversees efforts in Northern California that ensure low- and moderate-income residents have access to affordable, quality housing. And notably, San Francisco and the Bay Area is one of the front lines of what is a national issue. Enterprise is a national organization, over three and
- [Yes! In my backyard!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/10/28/patrick-quinton/) - Two years ago, after careers in financing, government and local economic development, Patrick Quinton co-founded a new startup, called Dweller, in Portland, Oregon. Like all metro areas, Portland faces an affordable housing shortage, and Patrick, from his previous role as head of Portland’s real estate and economic development agency, knew that the city had “the
- [Spread the wealth.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/11/spread-the-wealth/) - Since 2004, Charmaine Curtis has headed her own development and consulting companies, emerging as a leader in the Bay Area developer arena. Her three decades of real estate experience include multi-family, mixed-use and urban infill projects, and she has overseen or worked on the development of over 7,000 units of housing, in both San Francisco
- [The world beyond banks.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/11/18/the-world-beyond-banks/) - Annie Donovan knows impact investing. She joined the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) last year, as COO, having built a truly remarkable career in community investment by embracing a pursuit of fairness in economics and finance. She found her way to this mission in part through her roots growing up in a working class family,
- [Manufacturing change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/12/02/manufacturing-change/) - Green builder, Scott Flynn, co-founded indieDwell with Pete Gombert four years ago “to change the building industry by offering high quality, sustainable and healthy homes to underserved communities." In the early 1990s, Scott worked as a carpenter’s apprentice building and remodeling homes, and even after he graduated from college as a chemical engineer, he continued
- [Hello, Neighbor.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/12/16/hello-neighbor/) - Max Levine's organization, NICO (Neighborhood Investment Company), has a mission “to localize wealth creation and broaden access to neighborhood equity.” The Los Angeles neighborhood Max lives in, Echo Park, has an income average of $40,000, whereas the average home is valued at $900,000 – an enormous discrepancy. Max and his business partner, John Chaffetz, began
- [The Missing Middle.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/06/the-missing-middle/) - Daniel Parolek is an architect, urbanist and the founder of Opticos Design, which has been working in urban placemaking and master planning for two decades. Daniel is best known for framing the idea of ‘missing middle housing’ just as the critical absence of affordable housing was becoming a major planning issue for cities nationwide. The
- [The Color of Law.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/01/13/the-color-of-law/) - Richard Rothstein is a distinguished fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a senior fellow (emeritus) at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He is today widely lauded as the author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (2017), which excavates a history of
- [Turning renters into homeowners.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/03/turning-renters-into-homeowners/) - Darryl Scipio is a man of many talents. He’s been deeply involved in community and political activism since his college days, taking on leadership of the Black Law Students, earning a fellowship to attend the Eagleton Institute of Politics for a year, and working in the Community Law Clinic. After graduating law school, Darryl joined
- [Let's be brave.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/10/lets-be-brave/) - Diana Lind is a writer, editor, critic and urban advocate. Now heading the Arts and Business Council for Greater Philadelphia, Diana made her mark at Next City, a nonprofit, online news organization focused on urban issues and stories about creating equitable cities. Diana moved to Philadelphia, in 2008, from her hometown of NYC to take over
- [The impact accelerator.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/03/03/the-impact-accelerator/) - From ecologist to impact investment guru, Dr. Stephanie Gripne has had a singular career arc. Originally trained in wildlife management and conservation, she went on to work on issues surrounding the built environment, in conservation real estate, environmental markets, and in the wonky world of financing strategies and historic tax credits. At the same time
- [Veterans Buy America.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/03/24/veterans-buy-america/) - Andy Williams is a former Marine who was determined to better his life (and secure his future) through real estate. In a fairly short period of time he built a substantial portfolio of homes, a real estate development business focused on larger projects, and now, a program that seeks to turn veterans into entrepreneurs just
- [Mass timber for the masses.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/07/mass-timber-for-the-masses/) - Scott Ehlert is the co-founder of Fabric Workshop, a company focused on low carbon, mass timber building technologies for California’s livable future. Scott is designing a proprietary hollow core mass timber plate, column, and wall system that uses 50% less wood fiber and will cost 10-35% less overall than for a CLT (cross laminated timber)
- [Andrew loves real estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/21/andrew-loves-real-estate/) - Andrew Luong has deconstructed the often lengthy and confusing process of small scale real estate investment, making it accessible to everyone. He and his partner, Justin, created Doorvest as a turnkey service built entirely online. They help their clients find a property, borrow the funds to renovate it and then sell the finished package to
- [Know your price.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/12/know-your-price/) - Andre Perry is a senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and a scholar-in-residence at American University. He writes for The Hechinger Report, and has been published by The Nation, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Last year, Andre put out a new book based on his work: Know Your Price:
- [Livable and Delightful.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/19/livable-and-delightful/) - A-P Hurd says that she can understand why people don’t like developers. “Most people don’t like change, and development is really visible," she says. “Often, five or 10 years after something gets built, people really love it. But when you’re talking about replacing the familiar with the unknown, that’s hard for people. All we can
- [She's breaking barriers.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/01/shes-breaking-barriers/) - Joanna Bartholomew, owner of O’Hara Developments, is a woman who’s breaking all barriers. While Joanna’s background is in social work, community health and financial education, real estate is in her blood. Her father was a developer, and as a young girl she spent time with him, both in the office and on job sites. So it’s no
- [It's a Buckminster Fuller thing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/08/its-a-buckminster-fuller-thing/) - Judi Lynn Brown, co-founder and Chief Impact office of CivicMakers, is a creative systems and design practitioner. She is a member of a new generation of progressive and inclusive change-makers who embrace civic technology along with “radically inclusive, participatory governance structures.” CivicMakers, which is based in the Bay Area, was created to make gathering spaces
- [Buckle up!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/29/buckle-up/) - Samson Williams isn’t one to think small. While studying for a Ph.D. in emergency management, he dropped out of school to build an Enterprise Incident Management Center out in the real world. He then spent over five years at Fannie Mae developing strategies to prevent emergencies and crises. A vocal advocate of blockchain, Samson holds
- [Rent an (AgTech) Robot.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/10/06/rent-an-agtech-robot/) - Mark DeSantis is a Pittsburgh-based serial technology entrepreneur, policy wonk and educator. He is also CEO of Bloomfield Robotics, a new Ag company out of the CMU Robotics Institute that uses AI and computer vision to measure the health of agricultural crops on plant-by-plant basis, or in their parlance ... “crop estimation technology.” Mark knows
- [Jamison loves real estate crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/10/20/jamison-loves-real-estate-crowdfunding/) - Jamison Manwaring is the co-founder and CEO of Neighborhood Ventures, a remarkable Arizona-based real estate crowdfunding company, focused on value-add multi-family properties. It’s a real estate company, for sure – they buy, hold and sell property. But the capital plan is innovative, with a growing pool of state residents who are permitted to invest through Arizona intrastate securities law. Nine successful
- [3D-printing, robotics and automation, oh my!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/11/17/3d-printing-robotics-and-automation-oh-my/) - Sam Ruben is passionate (with a capital P) about sustainability. Sustainability is not just a moral principle for Sam – he believes that as a core value it can improve the bottom line, and increase the brand value of any company. Today, he is Chief Sustainability Officer and co-founder of Mighty Buildings, a company that
- [Shift real estate.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/12/01/shift-real-estate/) - Jonathan Cohen, based in the Pacific Northwest, is an engineer turned developer/hotelier/social entrepreneur. Always interested in sustainability, Jonathan also has a strong DIY streak in him. When he was younger, he volunteered on an environmental farm and did an internship working on wind turbines at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. He also built
- [It's the data, stupid.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/12/08/its-the-data-stupid/) - Joseph Minicozzi is an urban designer who wants to help communities understand the economic impact of development. Like demystifying tax codes, government jargon and municipal finance data. In 2012, Joe created a data-focused consulting company called Urban3. Based in Western North Carolina, Urban3 was spun out of Public Interest Projects, a non-profit focused on reinvigorating
- [Superpower. Stick-to-itness.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/06/21/superpower-stick-to-itness/) - "What is your superpower?" This is the question that Devin Thorpe asks every one of his podcast guests in his podcast show, Superpowers for Good, where he focuses on inspirational impact. And true to form, Devin asks Eve the same question in this episode, Developer Becomes a Tech Entrepreneur to Help Community-Focused Peers. Her answer?
- [Net zero building.  It's a boom!](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/02/net-zero-building-its-a-boom/) - “A mix of high-tech and old-fashioned energy efficiency tactics can deliver carbon-neutral buildings, right now. But the U.S. needs to pick up the pace” writes James S. Russell for Bloomberg. Oil shortages are a hot topic since Russia invaded the Ukraine, prompting the International Energy Agency to release a 10-point-plan for cutting oil use. But the plan
- [On making waves.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/05/16/on-making-waves/) - Eve Picker, founder of Small Change, talks to Brian Gaudio of Module Housing. Eve has a passion for cities and for working on real estate projects that make a positive impact in neighborhoods. Originally from Australia, Eve trained as an architect and has a master's degree in urban design. She moved to Pittsburgh where she
- [Get in on the GROUNDFLOOR.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/03/10/get-in-on-the-ground-floor/) - In 2013, Brian Dally co-founded GROUNDFLOOR with the seed of an idea born out of the Jobs ACT of 2012. From humble beginnings, funding their first $50,000 loan with just 50 investors, Brian and his partner have built GROUNDFLOOR into the go-to funding platform if you want to fix’n flip property. And now they’ve added
- [Women building collective muscle.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/14/women-building-collective-muscle/) - Libby Seifel's life is built around big causes. She has spent much of it professionally focused on affordable housing and much of it personally focused on women. Libby's interest in housing came about when she lived through gentrification in her own neighborhood in Boston. There she saw her own godmother pushed out of her apartment
- [The Housing Lab.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/10/27/the-housing-lab/) - Michelle Boyd runs the Housing Lab at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation. The Terner Center itself was created in 2015, with a mission “to formulate bold strategies to house families from all walks of life in vibrant, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities.” The Housing Lab program was developed in response to the void
- [Slaying Gentrification.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/06/29/slaying-gentrification/) - David Kemper wanted to find a way to safeguard established renters against gentrification. His goal was to build a real-estate investment model that both stabilized existing rents and gave a voice to that community. Too many have suffered from racism and disinvestment in their neighborhoods. Across the country, communities are being torn apart because residents
- [Before IMPACT was a thing.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/06/22/before-impact-was-a-thing/) - In college, Paul Rabinovitch planted almost a million trees. Seeing the clear-cut land in which he was working sparked a desire to center his work around creating change. His career path displays a multitude of avenues towards making an impact – from brownfields redevelopment, to building sanctuaries and parks with the Nature Conservancy, to working
- [No more broken promises.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/07/20/no-more-broken-promises/) - Brinda Devine has over 25 years of experience in real estate, beginning at age 29 with Acquest Development, where she earned her real estate broker license and served as their Vice President of Asset Management. She then joined Wayne State University, where she established a Real Estate Office which facilitates the purchase and sale of
- [Changing the ownership model.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/07/25/changing-the-ownership-model/) - “Every neighborhood deserves a vibrant local economy filled with businesses that serve residents’ needs. Equitable access to commercial real estate is key to making that happen” write Tracy Loh and Andre Perry for Bloomberg. Undervaluation of homes plays a large part in racial wealth inequality. According to Fannie Mae, Black homeownership sits at 42 percent
- [The JUST Podcast.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/04/05/the-just-podcast/) - The JUST Podcast tells the stories of the people working to build thriving communities rooted in justice. In this episode, Derigging the Real Estate Game (Season 3, Episode 3), Eve Picker, founder and CEO of Small Change, is interviewed by JUST co-hosts Jes and Rob. Eve shares insights on the nature of exclusivity in real estate, and
- [I've been working on the railroad.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/05/ive-been-working-on-the-railroad/) - David Peter Alan has worked for decades as an advocate for rail transportation. For two decades, he chaired the Lackawana Coalition, an independent, non-profit organization that advocates for better service for New Jersey Transit riders. (This is all in addition to his day job as an intellectual property lawyer.) David's expertise is widely recognized. He
- [Radical in its simplicity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/05/26/radical-in-its-simplicity/) - Beth Silverman is Executive Director of the Lotus Campaign, a nimble nonprofit startup focused on reducing homelessness. What makes the Lotus Campaign especially interesting is its approach to putting a roof over a homeless family's head. Instead of building ground up affordable homes, employing a bevy of subsidy financing, the Lotus Campaign is instead focusing
- [Stewarding the future of farming.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/06/09/stewarding-the-future-of-farming/) - After a decade of building a career in real estate finance, from a pre-college stint as an analyst for an established D.C. development firm all the way to co-founding (with his brother, Ben) the first real estate crowdfunding platform, Fundrise, Dan Miller changed lanes. Sort of. In 2016, he founded Steward, a private commercial lender
- [How to be an Impact Investor.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/06/21/how-to-be-an-impact-investor/) - Impact investing is rapidly increasing in popularity and there’s a growing interest from first time investors. Education is the key to feeling comfortable for those sticking their toe in the water. In 2012 Dr. Stephanie Gripne recognized a need for trustworthy, un-conflicted investor education. Back then she was the director of the Initiative for Sustainable
- [Filling the "crazy gap".](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/06/30/filling-the-crazy-gap/) - Jonny Price has spent most of his working life in the world of microfinance, first at the nonprofit, Kiva, and now with the crowdfunding platform, Wefunder. He started his journey from management consultant to crowdfunding guru in 2009, as a volunteer with Kiva, on an externship from his consulting job. He made the full leap over
- [Young angels.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/07/21/young-angels/) - Dr. Shannon Mudd is an economist and educator with a University of Chicago pedigree, specializing in microfinance and impact investment. He currently runs the Microfinance and Impact Investing Initiative program (Mi3 for short), which he founded about 8 years ago. One of his hottest classes teaches students how to invest $50,000 of real money for
- [One year. 41 more conversations.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/07/28/one-year-41-more-conversations/) - 41 amazing people. 41 inspiring conversations. Cynthia Muller. Richard Rothstein. Andre Perry. Charmaine Curtis. Lyneir Richardson. Darryl Scipio. Libby Seifel. Beth Silverman. Patrick Quinton. Daniel Parolek. Charles Durrett. Heather Hood. Diana Lind. Scott Flynn. Atticus LeBlanc. Sam Ruben. Andrew Luong. Stephanie Gripne. Shannon Mudd. Ken Weinstein. Garry Gilliam. Andy Williams. Daniel Dus. Patrice Frey. Bruce
- [Truly unique.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/09/06/truly-unique/) - “This truly unique project aims to provide an iconic response to the generic status quo of speculative office real estate in Portland today, with below-market rents aimed at smaller start-ups and companies that would not otherwise be able to afford space in a new construction mid-rise building.” Guerrilla Development If you live in Portland, you’ve
- [Greater mass.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/10/25/greater-mass/) - Mass timber is a catch-all name for a range of engineered wood products. Smaller, non-structural pieces of wood are glued together and engineered in such a way that together they become much larger and structural elements. Mass timber has many attributes. Speed of construction is a major benefit. Panels are pre-manufactured and pre-cut before delivery.
- [Mission (Almost) Impossible.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/01/05/mission-almost-impossible/) - Saki Bailey, the Executive Director of San Francisco Community Land Trust (SFCLT), has a decade of experience in nonprofit management and program development roles; a decade of experience in facilitation, teaching and training roles both in the academic and non-profit sectors with a focus on the legal regulation around Community Land Trusts, Co-op formation, and
- [Making change.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2017/12/14/making-change/) - Adam Gower, GowerCrowd, interviews Eve Picker, founder and CEO of Small Change. Listen in to this episode as Adam talks to Eve about Small Change and her love for Regulation Crowdfunding and its promise of the democratization of investment . Image courtesy of Small Change
- [Are investors to blame?](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/07/11/are-investors-to-blame/) - “About 2.5 million households shopping for a first home will be shut out of the market this year, estimates Nadia Evangelou, senior economist with the National Association of Realtors. That amounts to 15 percent of all first-time home buyers. In an already daunting market, investor purchasing is adding to the obstacles.” Writes Sophie Kasakove for
- [Storyteller.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/07/13/storyteller/) - Madelyne Kirch is the founder of Sun & Moon Marketing Communications in New York. What differentiates her agency is its focus on real estate - everything from corporate, commercial and retail, to residential real estate. Madelyne founded her company almost 30 years ago, in her basement with a $2,500 investment. She’s always focused on real
- [Permanently affordable.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/11/03/permanently-affordable/) - Kimberly Driggins is executive director of the newly created Washington Housing Conservancy. The nonprofit's mission is aimed at ensuring that moderate to low-income residents are not priced out of their homes. DC is a city where rents are running rampant and this only promises to get worse once Amazon’s HQ2 opens. The Housing Conservancy plans to
- [Bisnow reports.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/12/08/bisnow-reports/) - Bisnow is one of the the world's leading B2B platforms serving the commercial real estate industry. From events and news to branded content and recruiting solutions. Bisnow reaches millions of readers and hosts hundreds of real estate events each year in over 50 local markets. Eve Picker is interviewed by Bisnow host, Miriam Hall in
- [Turnkey goes online.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/11/22/turnkey-goes-online/) - The internet is bringing a fundamental transformation to the real estate industry. It’s a digital revolution, democratizing and streamlining activities that were once quite complicated and time-consuming, putting them out of the reach of most people. Many investors have wanted the stability of a real estate investment, but do not have the time or wherewithal
- [The modern village.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/01/10/the-modern-village/) - “Co-housing communities are not communes. Residents do not give up financial privacy any more than they give up domestic privacy. They have their own bank accounts and commute to ordinary jobs. If you were lucky enough to grow up on a friendly cul-de-sac, you’re in range of the idea, except that you don’t have to
- [Citizen architect.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/06/15/citizen-architect/) - From an early age, Rico Quirindongo was interested in the impact of the built environment on people. That’s why he became an architect. But he sees an architect’s role as much larger than just designing buildings with a useful life. He believes every architect has an obligation, a responsibility to engage in a civic conversation
- [Valuing Black neighborhoods.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/06/13/valuing-blackneighborhoods/) - “Black communities are routinely undervalued. Even when they are among the nation’s wealthiest” writes Tracy Jan for the Washington Post. Undervaluation of homes plays a large part in racial wealth inequality. In 2019 the median wealth of White families was eight times that of Black families in the United States, according to a Federal Reserve
- [Beyond the Vagabond.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/01/12/beyond-the-vagabond/) - With a career path that has taken her from bond trading on Wall Street to developing properties along some of Miami's trendiest streets, Avra Jain has earned a reputation for identifying the next it neighborhood. The recipient of three Sundance Film Awards for the documentary Dark Days, this industrial engineering graduate from Purdue University develops
- [On loving a challenge.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/02/07/on-loving-a-challenge/) - Nick Perold is a curious guy. On his podcast show, Curiosity in Progress, he asks these questions -- What if we did things differently? What would it look like? How might it change life for the better? Nick believes that progress is fueled by these questions, and so are his guests. In this episode Nick
- [Female cities.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2022/04/18/female-cities/) - “Experiences of sexual harassment and violence intersect with other social inequalities, especially those of class, race, disability and sexual orientation. To track all of these indicators through an urban planning and design agenda can be bewildering, drawing attention away from deep-seated, long-standing ‘structures’ of inequality that become embedded in the built environment and in the
- [Wealthy Wellthy.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2019/07/19/the-wealthy-wellthy-podcast/) - The Wealthy Wellthy podcast series is the latest venture of Krisstina Wise who has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in the country, been featured in USA TODAY and lauded by Apple for creative leadership with emerging technologies. Krisstina is a real estate mogul and founder of several businesses, but
- [Seven rules.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2020/01/15/seven-rules/) - Nick Raithel interviews Eve Picker, founder of Small Change on 7 Rules for Real Estate Investing. They talk about Hobart, impact investing, and how to tell when your property lies in the path of progress. Image from 7 Rules For Real Estate Investing
- [PreserveCast.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/08/preservecast/) - PreserveCast is powered by Preservation Maryland, a non-profit organization that believes the future is richer when it understands the past. In weekly episodes, Nicholas Redding delves into stories that show the value, relevance, and importance of history in our lives. As a preservationist, his interest was sparked by Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding investment platform
- [Human City.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/09/human-city/) - "The mother who made a community garden, the professor who dedicated his life to parking, the architect who studied the nuances of a public bench - these are the people who make our places, well, human." Stig Terrebonne. Through the words of leaders, thinkers, designers and simply doers, this podcast series, hosted by Stig Terrebonne,
- [The Placemaking Podcast.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/2021/02/10/the-placemaking-podcast/) - "The Placemaking Podcast is meant for the developer looking to continually improve their craft and provide others with wonderful spaces within their communities." Matt Loos. Matt Loos believes that "placemaking" is the art of capitalizing on a local community’s assets, inspiration and potential, to create good public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and economic

## Pages

- [Homepage](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/) - Small Change is raising capital. You can help us grow! Invest here NSSC Holdings, LLC is conducting a capital raise through a Regulation Crowdfunding offering listed on Wefunder Portal, LLC, an SEC/FINRA reporting Funding Portal. See the listing page for more information. Impact Investment Opportunities Learn More Learn More
- [We’re taking a break from podcasting](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/were-taking-a-break/) - ... but please come back soon.
- [Speaking engagements](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/speaking-engagements/) - 2024 Power Your Passion: Funding Social Enterprises Through Crowd Investing - Social Enterprise Alliance Masterclass Panelist, virtual (September 19, 2024 - 2:00 -3;00pm EDT) SuperCrowd24 - Impact Crowdfunding Conference Panelist, virtual (April 17 - 18, 2024) Superpowers for Good - Bridging Gaps: How Crowdfunding Is Democratizing Real Estate Investment with Devin Thorpe Guest (April 16,
- [About Eve](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/about-eve/) - Lover of cities. Architect. Urban Designer. Real estate developer. FinTech pioneer. Urban change agent. I’m the founder of Small Change, a real estate equity crowdfunding platform. We raise funds for meaningful real estate projects building better cities everywhere. We match developers to investors, providing investment opportunities for everyone who cares about cities and wants to make change. All
- [Press kit](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/press-kit/) - You can read my bio here, or download it here. If you need a headshot just drag the image to your desktop. Or if you need a logo, download this folder. You might want to see what we’re up to on social media. I’m busy on LinkedIn, or find us @aboutcities on Twitter. Our Facebook
- [About Us](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/about-2/) - We are rethinking real estate. For good. Think of us as your go-to hub for all things impact real estate. Transformative development. Proptech. Fintech. Real estate investment. Financial innovation. Disruptive projects. We cover everything that pushes the boundaries of the built environment. We are change-agents. We are speakers, conversationalists and writers. We produce content and
- [Sign up here](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/sign-up-here/) - * indicates required First Name Last Name Email *
- [Speaking requests](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/speaking-request/) - Thanks for your interest in Eve Picker and Rethink Real Estate. For Good. We'd love to hear more about your organization and speaker needs. Please complete the form below, and we will be in touch promptly if we think we can be of assistance. Download our press kit here.
- [Be a podcast guest.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/be-a-podcast-guest/) - If you’ve landed on this page, you probably have something to share. Like me, you might be on a mission to make real estate work for everyone. I love real estate. Real estate makes places good or bad, rich or poor, beautiful or not. On my show, I interview the disruptors, those creative thinkers and
- [Say hello](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/say-hello/)

## Soliloquy Sliders

- [Offering Carousel](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/?post_type=soliloquy&p=10376)
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## Events

- [Power Your Passion: Funding Social Enterprises Through Crowd Investing](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/power-your-passion-funding-social-enterprises-through-crowd-investing/) - Curious about crowd investing? Learn from a crowd-investing expert panel how to build a loyal customer base, deepen your social impact, and discover how crowd investing can help you raise capital while creating passionate supporters. With Eve Picker, founder and CEO of Small Change and Devin Thorpe of Super Powers for Good. Paul Lovejoy of
- [Small Scale Forum #20](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/small-scale-developer-forum-20/) - Eve Picker will be taking part in a panel discussion: New Hope, New Tools. An upbeat look at innovative capital sources that are emerging to help small deals become reality. You can attend this entire conference virtually for $99. Purchase a ticket here.
- [Americas YLG: Crowdfunding for Real Estate](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/americas-ylg-crowdfunding-for-real-estate/) - Are you a young commercial real estate professional looking for new ways to invest? If so, then you'll want to attend this virtual event hosted by the ULI Americas Young Leaders Group. In this session, the panel, made up of Mark K. Bhasin, CFA, FRM, FDP, CMT, ERP, PRM, WELL AP, Brian Dally, and Eve Picker, will discuss
- [ULI Health Leader’s Network – Building Healthy Places Initiative](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/uli-health-leaders-network-building-healthy-places-initiative/) - Health Leaders Network is designed to empower real estate and land use professionals with the skills, knowledge, and networks to improve health and equity outcomes in their professional practice and communities. Thirty professionals in real estate development, planning, design, engineering, finance, community engagement, and public health from across the globe have been selected to participate
- [Building our City: Asheville’s Urban Design Speaker Series](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/building-our-city-ashevilles-urban-design-speaker-series/) - Building Our City Speaker Series is focused on housing for 2023 and this event will feature Eve Picker. Eve's world is wrapped around cities and change. With a background as an architect, city planner, urban designer, real estate developer, community development strategist, publisher, and instigator, Eve has a rich understanding of how cities and urban
- [Real Estate Investing within Equity Crowdfunding](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/real-estate-investing-within-equity-crowdfunding/) - Discover how you can enter the world of real estate investment through innovative crowdfunding platforms. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from industry experts and gain insights into the exciting potential of this investment avenue. With panelists: Eve Picker Founder of Small Change; Etan Butler Chairman of Dalmore Group; Brian Dally Co-Founder and CEO of Groundfloor Finance.
- [Ask Eve Anything about Real Estate + Crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-anything-about-real-estate-crowdfunding-2/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform - SmallChange.co. Ask me anything about REAL ESTATE + CROWDFUNDING Thurs May 4, 2023, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (your local time) Office Hours. On Zoom Sign up on Linkedin.
- [Ask Eve anything about Real Estate + Crowdfunding.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-anything-about-real-estate-crowdfunding/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform - SmallChange.co. Ask me anything about REAL ESTATE + CROWDFUNDING Fri, Apr 14, 2023, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (your local time) Office Hours. On Zoom Sign up on Linkedin.
- [Ask Eve. How Real Estate is Financed.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-how-real-estate-is-financed/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform - SmallChange.co. While investment crowdfunding is taking off it’s not mainstream yet. Bring your questions for some help navigating the crowdfunding industry and how you might fit in. In the fifth event of the series, we’ll explore the ways in which real estate is financed.
- [Ask Eve. How to Evaluate a Real Estate Investment Opportunity.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-how-to-evaluate-a-real-estate-investment-opportunity/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform - SmallChange.co. While investment crowdfunding is taking off it’s not mainstream yet. Bring your questions for some help navigating the crowdfunding industry and how you might fit in. In our sixth and final event, we will focus on how to evaluate real estate investment opportunities.
- [ULI Fall Meeting 2022: Toward Equality in Real Estate Development Debt Capital Access](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/uli-fall-meeting-2022-toward-equality-in-real-estate-development-debt-capital-access/) - Historically, the bulk of real estate development debt capital in the United State has come from commercial banks. Over years, US Bank Regulatory oversight encouraged them to adopt risk management and underwriting standards on developer experience that penalize individuals and firms new to the business. In addition, many banks have internal policies on deal size
- [ULI Fall Meeting 2022: Investing for Impact through Crowdfunding](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/uli-fall-meeting-2022-investing-for-impact-through-crowdfunding/) - Join Eve Picker, the CEO and founder of Small Change, to hear about her journey from architect and developer to fintech pioneer. Picker built Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding platform, with a clear purpose: to disrupt the inequitable culture of real estate investment. Her platform boasts significant impact statistics—57 percent of the developers who
- [Pittsburgh State of the Market](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/pittsburgh-state-of-the-market/) - A BISNOW event exploring investment, development, construction and office trends. Hear from Eve Picker and other top market players in Pittsburgh as they discuss how commercial real estate is fairing and changing across the area. Learn about Multifamily, Retail, Office, and Mixed-Use developments and how various economic drivers are changing the current landscape across the
- [Supercrowd 23: A virtual conference for social entrepreneurs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/supercrowd-23/) - SuperCrowd 23 is a two-day virtual conference for social entrepreneurs and anyone interested in supporting them. Supercrowd educates entrepreneurs and investors to accelerate the growth of impact crowdfunding, financing social entrepreneurs. With parallel tracks for entrepreneurs and investors, participants will have opportunities to learn, share and network.Ten companies raising money via Regulation CF will present
- [Hacking Inequity in Access to Real Estate Capital: Best Practices and New Options](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/hacking-inequity-in-access-to-real-estate-capital/) - Sponsored by ULI Northwest Foster School of Business Runstad Department of Real Estate Urban@UW Traditional real estate capital sources -- large banks, syndications, and institutional lenders such as life insurance companies and pension funds -- have historically been less accessible to BIPOC real estate developers and others aiming to improve BIPOC communities via the built
- [Ask Eve. How to prepare for a real estate offering.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-how-to-prepare-a-real-estate-offering/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform, SmallChange.co. While investment crowdfunding is taking off it’s not mainstream yet. Bring your questions for some help navigating the crowdfunding industry and how you might fit in. In the fourth event in the series, we will focus on how to prepare an
- [SuperCrowd 22: A virtual conference for social entrepreneurs.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/supercrowd-22-a-virtual-conference-for-social-entrepreneurs/) - Eve Picker, founder and CEO of Small Change will deliver a keynote address, Real estate crowdfunding with purpose, at SuperCrowd22, the can't-miss virtual event of the year for social entrepreneurs and everyone interested in supporting them. Seats are limited. As one of our inner circle you can register here to receive a discount of $124
- [Ask Eve. How to Raise Money for Your Real Estate Project Online.](https://rethinkrealestateforgood.co/event/ask-eve-how-to-raise-money-for-your-real-estate-project-online/) - My name is Eve Picker and I have a real estate crowdfunding platform, SmallChange.co. While investment crowdfunding is taking off it’s not mainstream yet. Bring your questions for some help navigating the crowdfunding industry and how you might fit in. In the third event of this series, we'll review the process of raising funds through

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