0 Boston Residents can Monitor City’s Development Projects

CoUrbanize logoWhat is going on over there?  That is one question that gets asked time and time again about commercial developments in Boston. Looking to track the Hub’s developments? Now there is an App for that.

According to the BBJ, “Boston residents will be able to track local projects, find meeting times, and submit online feedback through a new online forum hosted on Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development website and at CoUrbanize.com. The move, the city said, would increase transparency in the development process for city-owned land and city-funded housing developments…The city of Boston is using the CoUrbanize platform to catalogue information about city-owned land and buildings available for development, in addition to collecting information about affordable housing developments in which the city has an investment.”

The full article is available on the Boston vertical of the BizJournals website: BizJournals.com/Boston.

0 Technology is Transforming Boston Commercial Real Estate

big data

Credit: analyticsweek.com

The commercial real estate industry has truly benefited from technology.  I entered the industry in 2002 and from then to now is dramatically different; today I can walk down the street, open my tablet and find out what space on what floor is available in any commercial building.  This was unheard of 5 years ago and only gets better with version updates of various apps. Not to mention the infusion of data, real-time analytics, and crowdfunding.

The BBJ notes “while data can’t predict the future just yet, big data can tell us the probability of future decisions, which can lead to actionable decision-making.” The article also mentions the benefit to “accredited and non-accredited investors, through a multitude of platforms, have the ability to invest in early-stage companies. What this means for commercial real estate is that everyone’s customer base broadens as fractional “ownership” increases. It also results in more capital outlets and providers for a more competitive landscape.”

You can read the full Boston Business Journal article on its website.