Bridges the real estate business and social concerns, illustrating how the desire for profit can be balanced with the needs of people

Real estate policies and stakeholders have a significant effect on the people living in the built environment. Although research has established how and why places affect people, most practical guides and courses on real estate development focus solely on the business side of property development.

Buildings for People: Responsible Real Estate Development and Planning introduces the major components of mainstream and progressive real estate development and their connections to urban planning. Providing key technical and practical knowledge, this unique volume situates real estate within a broader political, economic, and social context. The authors draw from their extensive academic and real-world experience to demonstrate how to balance social concerns with financial and investment considerations without sacrificing profit.

Beginning with site selection, the book takes readers through financing, site improvement, architecture, landscape architecture, site planning, construction, and evaluation. Throughout the text, the authors explain key theories and methods of professional practice while discussing how important social issues, such as gentrification and affordable housing, are linked to the business of real estate development and planning.

• Examines real estate development and planning through a multi-level lens that takes into account the systemic factors that govern the real estate process
• Describes how to calculate the financial and economic factors that frame any real estate development project
• Reviews the historical context of real estate development and alternative models that can mitigate structural inequalities in society

Buildings for People: Responsible Real Estate Development and Planning is an ideal textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in real estate, urban planning, urban design, and urban studies courses, as well as a valuable resource for researchers and professionals who want a multidisciplinary understanding of the built environment.
About the Author:

Justin Hollander, PhD, FAICP, is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. He is the author of nine books, including An Ordinary City and the award-winning Cognitive Architecture. He is frequently called upon as an expert on urban planning and design issues by media outlets including NPR, C-SPAN, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and TIME Magazine.

Nicole Stephens currently works in the Real Estate Department of the Massachusetts Port Authority. She recently earned a Master's Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University. She previously worked at the Massachusetts Legislature for eight years in a variety of roles for various elected officials.