A

This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors' experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Columbia University's usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with the Columbia University Website Cookie Notice

summer workshops

Real Estate Finance: Incentivising Capital to Create Better Outcomes in the Built Environment

Jun 5, 2023 – Jun 16, 2023

Across New York City

Chris Munsell

Aerial view of Central Park and Midtown, NYC. Photo by Christopher Munsell.

Research Question

Why can’t we achieve better outcomes from developers in the built environment?

Real Estate Finance lies at the crux of many issues facing the built environment today. It is both the problem and the solution. When improperly utilized, capital can act as the largest impediment toward progress. However, when financial incentives are properly structured, they can be one of the most powerful and rapid agents of change. Many of the negative outcomes we observe in the built environment are the result of a lack of understanding of finance. By understanding the lexicon of finance, students will be armed with a new toolkit to better address the challenges of tomorrow.

Methodology and Process

In this workshop, students will learn the basic components of finance through Microsoft Excel. The program will start as a series of workshops where they act as developer and have to problem-solve by analyzing a project and understanding the use of financial incentives. Armed with these skills, students will form small groups and select one of the questions (below) as a topic for their final proposal.

Issues in Real Estate:

Understanding incentives and capital structures: Is it all about the bottom line or is it more complicated?
When government policy falls short of achieving lasting outcomes: Why should they think more about opportunity than enforcement?
Capital is one of the largest hurdles facing MWOBE and emerging developers: What solutions might exist to empower them?
Sustainability vs. Affordability: Why are these initiatives at constant odds with one another?
Changing the conversation: How can we get developers to understand the VALUE of design?
PropTech & Big Data: Why do seemingly user-friendly apartment-hunting sites actually benefit the landlord at the expense of the tenant?

NOTE: Sessions will likely take place during the evenings of Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week (likely 5-8pm or 6-9pm, once space is confirmed). You do not have to intern to be accepted to this workshop but the schedule is set to support those students who do intern. The Developer Conversations (i.e. meetings with industry participants) will likely occur during one day, in which case students would be required to take that day off. Please see ATTACHED PDF for the preliminary schedule. Updates to this PDF will be made as speakers and times are confirmed.

Output and Findings

Once students have selected a topic, I will host a number of sessions structured as open office hours where students will be challenged to understand the opposition’s financial perspective. I will work with each group throughout these sessions to help shape their ideas into actionable solutions for their final proposal and presentation. During final presentations, I will invite a panel of real estate finance professionals to provide feedback and suggest ways on how each group might continue to use real estate finance in their programs and future careers.

Other 2023 workshops

Strategies for Implementing Large Scale Public Projects	Shachi Pandey	Across New York City	Aug 11, 2023 – Aug 25, 2023
Honolulu, HI Frequency: Urban mobility patterns across time, space, and scale	Kaz Sakamoto	Honolulu, Hawaii	Aug 10, 2023 – Aug 18, 2023
Peri-urban Water Management in Gujarat	Sandro Marpillero, Sonal Beri	Ahmedabad, India	Jul 17, 2023 – Aug 5, 2023
On Circulations And The African Imagination Of A Borderless World	Mabel O. Wilson, Mario Gooden, Emanuel Admassu	Dar es Salaam, Tanzania	Jun 20, 2023 – Jul 3, 2023
Modern Architecture in Havana	Belmont Freeman	Havana, Cuba	Jun 7, 2023 – Jun 17, 2023
Un-archiving LA	Felicity Scott, Mark Wasiuta	Los Angeles, California	Jun 5, 2023 – Jun 15, 2023
An Atlas of Dust	Jorge Otero-Pailos	Across New York City	May 22, 2023 – Jun 9, 2023