Forty in Quarantine
Today is Israel’s 72nd Independence Day. It is also my 40th birthday. I am celebrating it in New York, where I now live with my wife and daughter. My parents planned to name me Arbel, the name of a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. But since I was
Unbundling Cities, Extending Airbnb, Disrupting Kitchens, and Building Startups
This week's newsletter looks at the Great Covid Survey, Unbundling the City, Cleaning up Airbnb, The future of CloudKitchens, Blue Ocean Strategy, Urban Employment, the Future of Cities, and Venture Capital's shift from pure software to hard assets.
Healthy Travel, Virtual Friends, Empty Offices, and Zoom Goats
I hope you and your family are well. We just concluded Passover 2020, in exile in the suburbs, waiting for Pharaoh to let us go back to Brooklyn. The thing is, we're not sure we want to go home. We're enjoying the time away from the
Amazon Masks, Airbnb Bailouts, Autonomous Virus, Moon Walls, and Google Errors
Below are the eight most interesting things I've seen this week, at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds. 1. I'm from Amazon and I'm here to help. The Canadian Government signed [https://finance.yahoo.com/news/canada-signs-deal-with-amazon-to-distribute-medical-supplies-154308362.html] an agreement with Amazon
WeWork Billions, Zoom Bombings, Amazon Spouses, and Phone Weddings
On Tuesday, I gave a guest lecture — via Zoom — at the University of Colorado about financing innovative real estate products. This was a great opportunity to test some of the material Antony Slumbers and I are preparing for our Future-Proof Office Course [https://www.realinnovationacademy.com/]. If you are designing,
Pant-less Office, Acoustic Homes, Airbnb Glut, and Bacterial Construction
I hope you are well and staying productive during these strange times. Earlier this week, I led a live discussion with Antony Slumbers, Susan Freeman, Elie Finegold, and Ronen Journo about the impact of coronavirus on cities and buildings. About 640 people registered for the virtual event, with nearly 500
Coronavirus Response: Urban Technology in China and the U.S.
Dror Poleg discusses the use of urban technology to fend of Covid-19, contrasting the advantages and risks of the Chinese and American approaches. Interviewed by Olivier Knox on SiriusXM Radio.
WeWork Cash, Amazon Code, Quarantine Leases, and Radical Localism
1. Who let the kids in? 300 million children are suddenly [https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerrymcdonald/2020/03/11/the-worlds-homeschooling-moment/#d0dbf24550c3] homeschooled across the world. Some parents can't wait for this experiment to end. Others might find that it's been good for their children and
Office viruses, Human Retail, Flagship Funerals, and Online Drinking
1. Worried about viruses? Don't read this. In 2017, researches wanted to see how long it takes for a virus to spread in an office. They placed a (harmless) sample on a doorknob and on the hand of one volunteer in an office with over 100 people. Within
Real Estate’s New Age of Abundance
A short video presentation based on my talk at the Rethinking Real Estate book launch in London.
