Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2014. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 84-94). / Taking an analytical approach, this thesis will address how the unmet housing need of urban single-person households can be rectified by the introduction of micro-apartments. The existing housing stock has been built largely based on the needs of a historically stable demand for family housing. By 2025, the number of single households will equal the number of households containing families with children. Given the remarkable increase in single-person households over the past few decades, a significant gap has formed in the availability of properly priced housing to meet the needs of people who would prefer to live alone. This affordability gap is an opportunity for cities to take strain off of family housing, stimulate the economy, and create innovative housing types that satisfy the needs of their fastest growing demographic. With land and labor costs at an all-time high, apartments with less square footage-micro-apartments- are a viable solution to filling the supply gap for single-person households. This thesis first analyzes this mismatch between supply and demand; introduces micro-apartments as a logical approach to ease the strain on housing; evaluates barriers and alternative theories that delay the implementation of this logical solution; and finally, makes recommendations for planners and policymakers to successfully add micro-apartments to their menu of housing options. The growth in single-person households with various levels of income indicates a significant demand for small units of modest means. Micro-apartments offer the opportunity to live alone to a variety of people, including new arrivals to cities, young professionals, and people at transitional stages in life such as a recent divorcée or a young couple. By offering housing to these segments of demand, micro-apartments will implicitly lessen the strain of existing housing stock intended for families. / by Zachary Shore. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2013. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 78-79). / The paper reviews the development, structure and trade of past real estate equity hedging instruments. The reviewed products represent a wide array of real estate derivatives, covering multiple property types, index methodologies and trading domains. Based on a series of interviews with leading product developers, market makers, traders and scholars, the paper examines and defines the unique features of the different products and analyzes their value proposition, market conditions and performance. In order to gain an overall perspective on the prospects of real estate derivatives, the paper discusses types of market demand for real estate investing and hedging. In this context, we present real estate debt hedging instruments and compare their trade and use with past real estate equity products. In addition, we discuss recent regulatory acts and their influence on trading requirements and costs, market making and players as well as market efficiency. In the last chapter, the paper presents Pure Property, a current real estate hedging solution, marketed by NAREIT and FTSE. We research Pure Property and compare it to past products. The paper points on Pure Property's new concept and its implications on asset valuation, product functionality and trading liquidity. The paper studies the ETF structure of the product and its contribution to arbitrage activity. For the above-mentioned advantages, the paper predicts that Pure Property is likely to establish a liquid, real estate hedging market. / by Oriel Eisenberg. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2009. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54). / This thesis will apply the past research and methodologies of Real Options to Tower 2 and Tower 3 of the World Trade Center redevelopment project in New York, NY. The qualitative component of the thesis investigates the history behind the stalled development of Towers 2 and 3 and examines a potential contingency that could have mitigated the market risk. The quantitative component builds upon that story and creates a hypothetical Real Options case as a framework for applying and valuing building use flexibility in a large-scale, politically charged, real estate development project. Through this demonstration, it is observed that applying Real Options "in" the World Trade Center Towers 2 and 3 projects minimizes losses in weaker markets and maximizes gains in stronger markets. / by Alberto P. Cailao. / S.M.

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2017. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 71-72). / New York City, arguably the world's financial capital and the world's biggest real estate market, and home to some of the finest medical and academic research centers houses a little over a million square feet of life science focused real estate. Despite tremendous academic research potential and financial wherewithal, the life science industry of the city is comparatively much smaller to other New York City industries. In addition, it is much smaller in comparison to life science industry in other parts of the country. This thesis investigates the New York City market as a possible location for developing life science focused real estate assets. As a first step, the research will focus on identifying and analyzing the key demand indicators to establishing the demand for life science focused real estate. Next, the thesis will focus on lab space as a real estate product to understand its main components and value drivers. Upon understanding the market and the product, the research will put forward possible strategies for developing lab buildings in the city. Further, in support of the development strategies the research will look to prove the financial feasibility of developing that life science real estate in the city. This would involve financial analysis and contrasting returns from life science assets against office assets. Lastly, through real options framework the study will go on to demonstrate the benefits of applying flexibility to real assets, while financially valuing this flexibility using the Monte Carlo analysis. / by Shaurya Batra. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2015. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 64-66). / The number of Chinese citizens aged 60 years and above is predicted to reach to 440 million by 2050, accounting for roughly 34 percent of the country's total population. The one-child policy has created a declining fertility rate. At the same time, the life expectancy of people keeps rising. The combination of low fertility and long life spans have moved China towards a rapidly aging society. To prepare for the aging society, the Chinese government has issued a series of policies to enhance the senior care industry. The government encourages private and foreign enterprises to invest and engage in senior care services in China. Chinese developers and operators are trying to import foreign practices into the Chinese context. Foreign experts are looking for business opportunities in this untapped market. Although China's senior housing market is undoubtedly appealing, industry players must address several issues before stepping into this market because it is still in infancy period compared to other developed countries. The study examines the key factors that influence senior housing development in China, and those essential elements that foster the industry in U.S. / by Tian Tang. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2011. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-82). / Real estate development is a complex process in which developers and equity investors look to capitalize on favorable financial markets and economic forces to produce investment returns. Real estate development is a risky venture in even the most mature economies that possess transparent government regulations, reliable local and national legal systems, efficient capital markets, skilled labor markets and substantial market demand data. These issues are magnified in an emerging market where few of the above ingredients are readily available. However, the hypothesis of this thesis is that a developer can better assemble its development team, positively impact performance, and reduce execution risks by reorganizing project teams with the resources currently available in India. This thesis contemplates the evolution of real estate development design and delivery methods as developers compete to deliver real estate assets; equity investors seek greater insulation from execution risk; and a growing stable of qualified construction professionals compete for contracts. However, demand for real estate assets, equity investment hurdles and increased competition are pressuring developers to consider design and delivery methods that decrease the time to market and contemplate risk allocation. The analytic approach of this thesis is to: 1) document common delivery methods in India through a series of interview with developers, architects, project management consultants, quantity surveyors and contractors, 2) compare and contrast the delivery methods and allocation of execution risk in the United States and India and 3) propose a management plan to further mitigate execution risk through different risk allocation and delivery methods. The goal of this thesis is to provide developers and equity investors insight into the evolution of the Indian delivery process and identify emerging opportunities to mitigate execution risk. / by Neal Howard. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2016. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 84-85). / This thesis explores the redevelopment potential of a historically landmarked church building in Cambridge, MA. The building is in a rapidly developing area in constant need of new housing. The proposal is bound by the constraints mandated by the building's historical designation, a ground lease payment to its owner, and a new chapel to serve the local community. The development plan must be sensitive to a number of stakeholder concerns, which are addressed through conscious design interventions, programmatic elements, and stress-tested financial projections. This document is divided amongst market and site context, a program and design outline, and a financial proposal reflecting nuanced market assumptions. It is prepared from the perspective of the developer / general partner. The thesis concludes with the overall feasibility of redevelopment on the site and demonstrates why the authors and their vision are uniquely suited for this redevelopment. / by Francesca B. Cooke and James R. Scott. / S.M. in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2011. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 42). / A very popular hypothesis of late is that grocery-anchored shopping centers perform better and are less risky than other retail investments. This hypothesis is primarily based on three notions: 1) grocery stores are unique in their ability to attract shoppers on a regular basis, often two to three times a week. This provides a grocery-anchored shopping center with consistent traffic that benefits the in-line tenants; 2) Grocery stores represent a non-cyclical business. People need to eat whether the economy is strong or weak, therefore, grocery-anchored shopping centers can rely on a minimum level of traffic regardless of economic conditions; 3) Many retailers have experienced significant sales leakage to the Internet. This has recently led to the concept of replacing large stores with small showrooms. However, the Internet has not impacted the grocery store business as significantly. Although some grocers have attempted to implement online stores, the model has been difficult to implement and unsuccessful. Therefore, many investors view grocery-anchored shopping centers as a hedge to the threat of online shopping faced by other retailers. These three characteristics have led many core investors to allocate capital to grocery-anchored shopping centers since they are viewed as stable and low-risk investments relative to other real estate alternatives. The purpose of this Thesis is to evaluate the performance of grocery-anchored shopping centers relative to other real estate investments, primarily in terms of asset prices and capitalization rates. This Thesis will attempt to determine whether investors pay more for grocery-anchored shopping centers and whether a potential price premium is warranted based on actual performance. This Thesis will also measure the volatility of grocery-anchored shopping center prices compared to other retail and non-retail investments to help determine the relative risk of these investments. / by Adam Schwank. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2011. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 82-85). / In 1998, the Chinese government abandoned the danwei ("work-unit") housing allocation system and fully privatized the housing market. Since then, the residential price has never stopped increasing despite the past financial crisis worldwide. In April 2011, statistics show that the average sales price of new residential apartments in 10 major metropolitan cities of China has reached RMB 15,802 per square meter (approximately USD 226 per square feet). In Shanghai, the price is about RMB 26,356 per square meter (above USD 376 per square feet), much higher than that in many big cities in developed countries. More and more Chinese urban dwellers, especially those who earn low salaries and live in metropolitan areas such as Shanghai are challenged by escalating housing prices. Each year the central government introduced several housing policies in order to solve the nationwide housing affordability problem. Recently, Chinese Premier announced that China aims to build 36 million affordable housing units by 2015. Despite severe housing affordability problems in Shanghai, the municipality has been lagging behind many other cities or provinces in terms of affordable housing programs. Last year, the municipal government finally started to experiment with affordable housing programs in selected districts. This thesis serves as a starting point to discuss the effectiveness of affordable housing programs in Shanghai by using five major criteria, -- provide and expand the supply of good-quality housing units; -- make housing more affordable and readily available; -- promote economic diversity in residential neighborhood; -- help households build wealth; and -- promote balanced metropolitan growth. According to the preliminary observation and assessment, the newly released affordable housing programs in Shanghai has been effective by incorporating both supply and demand approaches and successfully targeting at extremely low income group. Despite the achievements, there is still some room for further improvement. Hopefully, by introducing more varieties of housing programs such as inclusionary housing, the Shanghai Affordable Housing Programs will benefit more households in the coming years. / by Linyun Sun. / S.M.in Real Estate Development

Thesis (S.M. in Real Estate Development)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in Conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2013. / This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. / Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 145-152). / This thesis systematically evaluates how rapid developments in the nascent crowdfunding industry, combined with recent regulatory changes, will impact the commercial real estate markets. The phenomenon of crowdfunding, defined as raising numerous small amounts of capital from a large number of people, or the crowd, has been accelerated by the recent passage of the Jumpstart Our Businesses Start-up Act (JOBS Act). The JOBS Act legalizes and facilitates the sale of securities used to crowdfund equity and debt investments, giving rise to a proliferation of new crowdfund entrants in various business sectors, including the commercial real estate arena. This thesis first gives a detailed analysis of the JOBS Act legislation and how it alters the current regulatory and business landscape. The focus then turns to the commercial real estate markets, tracing the evolution of commercial real estate as an institutional asset class and the influence large, institutional investors such as pension funds and real estate investment trusts exert on this market. The authors also examine the impact on the average investor and conclude that these large institutional investors have bifurcated the market, leaving the average investor unable to gain exposure to "hard" commercial real estate assets. The authors then link the research to crowdfunding, first with a chapter on the emerging and dynamic crowdfund industry in general, and then on specific commercial real estate crowdfunding sites, also discussing sites related to this sector. The authors strengthen this primary research with field investigations, conducting interviews with real estate developers, investors, and securities lawyers specializing in regulatory law. They concurrently surveyed 138 well-vetted real estate professionals (the MIT Center for Real Estate alumni). The thesis then projects the size of the potential dollar value of the commercial real estate crowdfund market based on existing value and turnover in the commercial real estate markets. The final chapter imagines what this market will look like in 2015; concluding that crowdfunding will have a profound effect on the commercial real estate market. / by John R. McDonald and Bonnie L. Burgett. / S.M.in Real Estate Development