The Architect/Planner as Developer: Engaging the Real Estate Development Process from a Design and Planning Perspective
Real estate development is the process by which the built environment is created. Therefore, architects and planners must understand and engage this process. Today, as markets shift, as architects are shunted to the periphery of decision-making, as government agencies not only set incentives and regulations but also act as developers themselves, and as mounting environmental crisis demands new approaches to urban resilience, the real estate development process both drives and limit necessary change. This seminar/workshop focuses on knowledge and skills by which the architect or planner works with, or as, a real estate developer, as processes of site analysis, planning, regulation, and finance come together to create and constrain opportunities for design. This course promotes these abilities mainly through a semester-long project that carries from conceptualization to a project prospectus and site design, including financial analyses. Through discussion of short readings, the course also emphasizes critique of present practices, and their implications for the roles of planning and design. By promoting a fuller understanding of these processes, this course helps prepare architects and planners to become more active participants, and ultimately to have more impact on the shape of our environment.
