Check out our green finance interview on Sustainable Land Development Today
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Lisa Michelle Galley talks about the current state of the green real estate capital markets within the article “Oases of Capital”, published by Sustainable Land Development Today.
An excerpt here:
“Galley favors the concept of responsible property investment — the triple-bottom-line approach — which is socially and environmentally progressive while generating market rates of return for investors. But the concept is new space for most people. It is a space literally forming before their eyes.”
Key points for the sustainable real estate community:
- In tough economic times, sustainable real estate sets itself apart in the eyes of institutional investors and communities because it delivers socially, environmentally and economically.
- An integrated finance strategy streamlines execution, reduces risk and boosts returns on sustainable real estate by combining real estate and tax structuring know how with funding sources from incentives to tax strategies.
Finally, we recommend that you take a look at Sustainable Land Development Today, a very progressive publication for like-minded sustainability professionals. Tell them that we sent you!
ULI on the Financial Bailout as the Swedes Shake Their Heads Knowingly
Will we shift to a more sustainable financial market?
Tired? I know, I know…
Staying on top of political theater and the daily collapse of banks can wear a body down. Watching the never-ending series of CNN breaking news, checking your own bank’s solvency and reading the papers leaves nearly no time for work!
Well, we won’t tell you how to vote, but here’s a couple of items that might help you as you navigate the highly spun news on the financial bailout — or at least up your game at the next few cocktail parties.
And the green finance angle, you might ask? Well, because of our commitment to sustainability and responsible property investing, we monitor issues affecting the sustainability of communities, particularly their financial viability. And with that, there are two items to help you in your thinking:
Item #1: Some nitty gritty on the bailout legislation impacting the housing market
We’ve been fans of ULI’s blog, The Ground Floor, from the very beginning — way before they got their new cool lookin’ blog template. John McIlwain’s post on the details of how the housing market could be assisted by the proposed bailout legislation spell out specific assistance actions that we do not normally hear about through the news media. He’s pulled out two core areas of focus, which depending on how they are implemented will determine whether we think the bailout was a good or bad idea. Those two areas are:
- program guidelines: this tells the entities getting assistance exactly when and how they should be creating programs and within what scope regarding their troubled assets. Specifically, these guidelines should contain:
(1) Mechanisms for purchasing troubled assets.
(2) Methods for pricing and valuing troubled assets.
(3) Procedures for selecting asset managers.
(4) Criteria for identifying troubled assets for purchase.
- foreclosure mitigation efforts: entities dealing in mortgages and related securities are empowered to offer assistance programs for homeowners that can help to avoid additional foreclosures. Well, its about time! But, of course, we’ll have to see how both these issues evolve through the legislative process. It ain’t over till its over.
Item #2: Swedes Say ‘Been There, Done That’
Now for something related, but different. Take a look at this New York Times article about how the Swedes approached a similar financial crisis a few years ago. The focus: when faced with the same problems, they took a very different course of action. And the results were both positive and, more importantly, sustainable.
