Blog
Did Cities Fail Us?
It was an ugly week. Let's start with some poetry: > “I was leaving the South to fling myself into the unknown . . . I was taking a part of the South to transplant in alien soil, to see if it could grow differently, if it could drink of new
2020: Tech's Impact on Real Estate
A presentation from Dror Poleg, author of Rethinking Real Estate. This is a recording from a virtual event at a large investment bank, June 4th, 2020.
Future of Work? Hold Your Horses
Forget about getting things done. Most work can be done elsewhere. An office is necessary because it allows people to socialize and learn. Over the past few weeks, I've heard a variation of the above from many landlords and consultants. It's a compelling argument. But it
Landlords are Zucked
Facebook is one of the largest companies in the world. It employs 45,000 people. Yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his views [https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10111936543502931] on the company's future: > Over the next 5-10 years, I think we could have 50% of our people
NBC: The Office of the Future
“Rethinking Real Estate, a book that even before the pandemic was projecting big changes in how offices will be used in the future. He says landlords will now need to convince companies there’s a need for those desks and boardrooms we’ve taken for granted”. A quick interview with
Outsourcing Cities, Coffee Offices, Reviving WeWork, and Shorting Campuses
1. An Office is not a Coffeeshop. On Wednesday, Antony Slumbers and I joined The Real Deal's Hiten Samtani to discuss [https://therealdeal.com/2020/05/14/office-landlords-dont-eat-before-watching-this/] the future of offices. Hiten brought up a suggestion made by Steven Roth, the Chairman of one of the world&
Google Goes, Airbnb Cuts, WeWork Fights, and Common Grows
I hope you and your family are well. We are still waiting for spring to officially begin here in New York. April was cold and wet. May is a mixed bag so far, with a couple of beautiful days, but a lot of clouds and strong winds. Whatever happens with
Home Alone: What's Next for Airbnb?
"We are pausing our efforts in Transportation and Airbnb Studios, and we have to scale back our investments in Hotels and Lux[ury Properties]", says [https://news.airbnb.com/a-message-from-co-founder-and-ceo-brian-chesky/] Airbnb's CEO Brian Chesky. Airbnb is responding to Covid-19 by going back to its roots. This
Study from home, live on campus.
Forty-five million Americans owe more than $1.6 trillion in student debt. Such debt contributes to low home-ownership among those under 40. The cost of going to college in the U.S. has increased by more than 25% over the past decade, growing several times faster than real incomes. This
Future of Work: Don't ask where, ask how.
Many middle managers and landlords are saying (and hoping) that working at home is not productive. Most of them are missing the point. Companies in cities like New York, San Francisco, and London are spending about $15,000 is a year to keep an employee at a desk. Bosses should
