AGENDA + ALL SESSION DETAILS
Monday, June 17
8:45 AM EDT Breakfast and Registration
9:45 AM EDT Welcome and Introduction
10:00 AM EDT Session 1: Interactive Game with Entire Audience
Find Out How Much You Really Value Environmental Performance in Real Estate: Simulating the Complex and Confusing Choices Confronting Developers and Investors
Presenter: Roberto Rigobon, Professor, Applied Economics + Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management (MIT Sloan School of Management)
11:15 AM EDT Break
11:30 AM EDT Session 2: Keynote Address
Transitioning the Real Estate Sector to Zero Emissions
Presenter: Heather Clark, (2004 MSRED), Senior Director of Building the Sector (White House Climate Policy Office)
Session Description:
Heather will provide a forecast for the real estate industry as we make the equitable transition to a clean energy economy, highlighting actions being taken by federal agencies, deployment of Inflation Reduction Act funds to spur subnational and private sector action, investments in science to inform mitigation and adaptation, and climate leadership in real estate across the country. She’ll contextualize the leadership needed within the real estate industry to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate goals of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 and a 100% clean energy electricity sector by 2035 and the President’s commitment to flow benefits to underserved communities and create good paying jobs.
12:00 PM EDT Session 3: Response Panel to Interactive Game
Does the Interactive Game Reflect How Real Estate Professionals Actually Prioritize Investment Choices?
Panel Moderator: Jacques Gordon, Lecturer (MIT-CRE)
Panelists: Peter Merrigan, (MSRED 1993), CEO (Taurus Investment Holdings),
Lori Mabardi, Senior Director, ESG for U.S. Real Estate Equity (Barings),
Nadir Settles, Global Head of Real Estate Impact (Nuveen),
Christina A. Marcarelli, (MSRED 2011), Senior Investment Officer (Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management)
Session Description:
Real estate investors, developers, and owners must consider a growing number of priorities that extend well beyond financial performance. How do these competing objectives resolve themselves? Can community engagement, sustainable construction and operations, and climate change adaptation all contribute to a reasonable return on investment? How does Professor Rigobon’s simulation relate to the real world where human values intersect with the marketplace to produce diverse outcomes? The alignment (or mis-alignment) of profit-seeking investors with the communities where they invest will be discussed by four practitioners who have direct experience with the complex factors that are required for success.
1:00 PM EDT Lunch
2:00 PM EDT Session 4: Interactive Game Debrief
Be Prepared to Be Surprised!
Presenter: Roberto Rigobon, Professor, Applied Economics + Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management (MIT Sloan School of Management)
2:15 PM EDT Session 5: Fireside Chat
The Future of Innovation and the Destiny of Cities: The Role of MIT and
MIT’s School of Architecture + Planning
Presenters: Paul Marcus, CEO (Marcus Partners) and Kairos Shen, Executive Director (MIT Center for Real Estate)
2:45 PM EDT Break
3:00 PM EDT Session 6: Keynote Address
From Doom Loop to Boom Loop: Designing a Central Creative District
Presenter: James von Klemperer, President (Kohn Pedersen Fox)
Session Description:
What is the best way for a city to drive innovation?
The same architectural principles and techniques used to encourage interdisciplinary thinking in academic buildings, collaboration in office buildings, or program synergies in neighborhood spaces can help us answer this question at the urban scale. In particular, as many of our cities are facing a downward spiral due to the decline of single purpose districts and accompanying social pressures, we seek opportunities to spur invention of many sorts through a more heterogeneous and connective set of architectural and urban design solutions.
3:30 PM EDT Session 7: Panel Discussion
Future of Urban Innovation Hubs: Emerging Global Trends vs. Place-Based Adaptations
Panel Moderator: Kairos Shen, Executive Director + Associate Professor of the Practice (MIT-CRE)
Panelists: James von Klemperer, President (Kohn Pedersen Fox),
Tim Rowe, Founder & CEO (Cambridge Innovation Center),
Jackie Sadek, Innovation Corridor Chair (UK Innovation District)
Session Description:
What is driving the global proliferation of urban innovation districts?
What are the common physical and social characteristics of these innovation clusters? Who are the proponents of these innovation hubs? Entrepreneurs? Commercial enterprises? Governments? Educational and research institutions? Private developers? What are some of the governance models for these districts? How do these innovation clusters benefit and impact their host cities? Do they contribute to their host cities’ performance in environment sustainability, climate resiliency, housing affordability and social equity?
4:30 PM EDT Session 8: Tech & Alumni Lightning Showcase
Tech Showcase: Get an inside view into the latest MIT projects, ideas, and start-ups in areas like PropTech, ConstructionTech, ClimateTech, Urbanization, Data Science, Mobility, Sustainability, Clean Energy or Social Equity in this annual crowd-pleasing session.
Companies Presenting: Vitrus Studio, Reframe Systems, Transaera, Zing Data, Forma Systems, MIT HAUS
Alumni Showcase: Gain insight into projects, initiatives, businesses, and/or start-ups from CRE’s Masters Program Alumni, working in a broad range of concepts in Real Estate and adjacent sectors making outstanding positive impacts on the world, significantly improving the lives or environments of those affected, and their industries at large.
Alumni Presenting: Randy Nichols MIT '89 (Art Studios), Meena Murugappan MIT '06 (Organo Antharam), Zoya Puri MIT '17 (Southline Boston)
5:15 PM EDT Cocktail Reception
9:45 AM EDT Welcome and Introduction
10:00 AM EDT Session 1: Interactive Game with Entire Audience
Find Out How Much You Really Value Environmental Performance in Real Estate: Simulating the Complex and Confusing Choices Confronting Developers and Investors
Presenter: Roberto Rigobon, Professor, Applied Economics + Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management (MIT Sloan School of Management)
11:15 AM EDT Break
11:30 AM EDT Session 2: Keynote Address
Transitioning the Real Estate Sector to Zero Emissions
Presenter: Heather Clark, (2004 MSRED), Senior Director of Building the Sector (White House Climate Policy Office)
Session Description:
Heather will provide a forecast for the real estate industry as we make the equitable transition to a clean energy economy, highlighting actions being taken by federal agencies, deployment of Inflation Reduction Act funds to spur subnational and private sector action, investments in science to inform mitigation and adaptation, and climate leadership in real estate across the country. She’ll contextualize the leadership needed within the real estate industry to meet the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate goals of a net-zero emissions economy by 2050 and a 100% clean energy electricity sector by 2035 and the President’s commitment to flow benefits to underserved communities and create good paying jobs.
12:00 PM EDT Session 3: Response Panel to Interactive Game
Does the Interactive Game Reflect How Real Estate Professionals Actually Prioritize Investment Choices?
Panel Moderator: Jacques Gordon, Lecturer (MIT-CRE)
Panelists: Peter Merrigan, (MSRED 1993), CEO (Taurus Investment Holdings),
Lori Mabardi, Senior Director, ESG for U.S. Real Estate Equity (Barings),
Nadir Settles, Global Head of Real Estate Impact (Nuveen),
Christina A. Marcarelli, (MSRED 2011), Senior Investment Officer (Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management)
Session Description:
Real estate investors, developers, and owners must consider a growing number of priorities that extend well beyond financial performance. How do these competing objectives resolve themselves? Can community engagement, sustainable construction and operations, and climate change adaptation all contribute to a reasonable return on investment? How does Professor Rigobon’s simulation relate to the real world where human values intersect with the marketplace to produce diverse outcomes? The alignment (or mis-alignment) of profit-seeking investors with the communities where they invest will be discussed by four practitioners who have direct experience with the complex factors that are required for success.
1:00 PM EDT Lunch
2:00 PM EDT Session 4: Interactive Game Debrief
Be Prepared to Be Surprised!
Presenter: Roberto Rigobon, Professor, Applied Economics + Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management (MIT Sloan School of Management)
2:15 PM EDT Session 5: Fireside Chat
The Future of Innovation and the Destiny of Cities: The Role of MIT and
MIT’s School of Architecture + Planning
Presenters: Paul Marcus, CEO (Marcus Partners) and Kairos Shen, Executive Director (MIT Center for Real Estate)
2:45 PM EDT Break
3:00 PM EDT Session 6: Keynote Address
From Doom Loop to Boom Loop: Designing a Central Creative District
Presenter: James von Klemperer, President (Kohn Pedersen Fox)
Session Description:
What is the best way for a city to drive innovation?
The same architectural principles and techniques used to encourage interdisciplinary thinking in academic buildings, collaboration in office buildings, or program synergies in neighborhood spaces can help us answer this question at the urban scale. In particular, as many of our cities are facing a downward spiral due to the decline of single purpose districts and accompanying social pressures, we seek opportunities to spur invention of many sorts through a more heterogeneous and connective set of architectural and urban design solutions.
3:30 PM EDT Session 7: Panel Discussion
Future of Urban Innovation Hubs: Emerging Global Trends vs. Place-Based Adaptations
Panel Moderator: Kairos Shen, Executive Director + Associate Professor of the Practice (MIT-CRE)
Panelists: James von Klemperer, President (Kohn Pedersen Fox),
Tim Rowe, Founder & CEO (Cambridge Innovation Center),
Jackie Sadek, Innovation Corridor Chair (UK Innovation District)
Session Description:
What is driving the global proliferation of urban innovation districts?
What are the common physical and social characteristics of these innovation clusters? Who are the proponents of these innovation hubs? Entrepreneurs? Commercial enterprises? Governments? Educational and research institutions? Private developers? What are some of the governance models for these districts? How do these innovation clusters benefit and impact their host cities? Do they contribute to their host cities’ performance in environment sustainability, climate resiliency, housing affordability and social equity?
4:30 PM EDT Session 8: Tech & Alumni Lightning Showcase
Tech Showcase: Get an inside view into the latest MIT projects, ideas, and start-ups in areas like PropTech, ConstructionTech, ClimateTech, Urbanization, Data Science, Mobility, Sustainability, Clean Energy or Social Equity in this annual crowd-pleasing session.
Companies Presenting: Vitrus Studio, Reframe Systems, Transaera, Zing Data, Forma Systems, MIT HAUS
Alumni Showcase: Gain insight into projects, initiatives, businesses, and/or start-ups from CRE’s Masters Program Alumni, working in a broad range of concepts in Real Estate and adjacent sectors making outstanding positive impacts on the world, significantly improving the lives or environments of those affected, and their industries at large.
Alumni Presenting: Randy Nichols MIT '89 (Art Studios), Meena Murugappan MIT '06 (Organo Antharam), Zoya Puri MIT '17 (Southline Boston)
5:15 PM EDT Cocktail Reception
TUESDAY, JUNE 18
7:00 AM EDT Breakfast and Registration
8:00 AM EDT. Session 9: Keynote Address
New Frontiers for Affordable Housing: Opportunities and Challenges
Presenter: Priya Jayachandran, CEO (National Housing Trust)
Session Description:
Priya's presentation will cover the current state of play of affordable housing in the US, including recent victories and opportunities in a new Administration.
For affordable housing owners, the pandemic has had a long tail, and the session will also cover challenges and how we might overcome them.
8:30 AM EDT Session 10: Panel Discussion
Shaping Policy to Advance the Next Generation of Affordable Housing in a Warming World
Panel Moderator: Ed Golding, Executive Director, MIT Goldberg Center for Finance & Policy (MIT Sloan School of Management)
Panelists: Priya Jayachandran, CEO (National Housing Trust),
Tim Judge, SVP, Head of Modeling & Chief Climate Officer (Fannie Mae)
Session Description:
How will technology and AI shape the future of affordable housing?
When we build, we have that stock for 50 plus years. Climate and natural disaster risks will likely increase over that horizon. How do we incorporate these risks into our decisions today about developing affordable housing?
What changes to federal/state/local policy would increase the supply of affordable housing? We care not just about the number of affordable units built, but the neighborhood and location of the units. What advice would you give developers when making these decisions? What role should FHA and the GSEs play in supporting affordable housing?
9:30 AM EDT Break
9:45 AM EDT Session 11: Panel Discussion
Affordable Housing: Provocative Ideas and Applications in the US & Global Cities
Panel Moderator: Albert Saiz, Daniel Rose Associate Professor of Urban Economics & Real Estate; Faculty Director (MIT Urban Economics Lab)
Panelists: Chrystal Kornegay, Executive Director (MassHousing),
Jenny Wu, (MSRED 2012), Managing Director of Development (Jonathan Rose Companies)
Session Description:
The panel will discuss best practices in affordable housing development, finance, and housing strategies for the support of low-income populations. We will discuss the approaches to affordable housing that actually work here in the US, and introduce some of the best practices from around the globe.
10:45 AM EDT Break
11:00 AM EDT Session 12: Panel Discussion
Workplace of the Future: How Technology Will Reinvent the Way We Work and Transform the Very Fabric of Our Cities
Panel Moderator: James Scott, Research Scientist, Lecturer, Director (MIT Real Estate Transformation Lab)
Panelists: Ben Breslau, Chief Research Officer (JLL),
Dror Poleg, Economic Historian, Award-winning author of Rethinking Real Estate,
Jinhua Zhao, Professor of Cities and Transportation, Founder and Faculty Director (MIT Mobility Initiative)
Session Description:
This panel will showcase how the concept of work is changing and what this means for commercial real estate. Looking at all available research, this panel will help the audience better understand how new technologies, future innovations, systemic changes in demand, and mobility will come together to influence how our cities will look in the years to come. How has remote work ultimately changed the purpose and function of our workspaces? How will the geographic mobility of workers, who can move to different regions and cities in search of lower costs of living, higher quality of life, and more opportunities change the established markets in real estate? How will the advancement in technology affect the use of workplaces in the future? What will the downtown of our cities look like in 2030?
12:00 PM EDT Lunch
1:00 PM EDT Session 13: Keynote Address
Decarbonizing the American City with AI
Presenter: Donnel Baird, Founder & CEO (BlocPower)
Session Description:
How can AI can be used to advance building decarbonization?
This presentation will explore how cities around the nation (like Ithaca, New York) are already using AI to prioritize projects based on building characteristics, consumption patterns, and estimated costs while balancing socioeconomic indicators and local target communities.
1:30 PM EDT Session 14: Panel Discussion
How Can Renewable Energy Promote Social Equity in Cities?
Panel Moderator: Fábio Duarte, Principal Research Scientist (MIT Senseable City Lab and Sustainable Urbanization Lab) + Lecturer (MIT DUSP)
Panelists: Donnel Baird, Founder & CEO (BlocPower) and Mark Grinis, America’s Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction Leader (EY)
2:30 PM EDT Break
2:45 PM EDT Session 15: Panel Discussion
Value Creation for Sustainable Real Estate
Panel Moderator: Siqi Zheng, STL Champion Professor of Urban and Real Estate Sustainability; Faculty Director (MIT-CRE) + (MIT SUL)
Panelists: Anna Malhari, Chief Operating Officer (Veris Residential),
Jennifer Leitsch, Managing Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services (EY),
Sunita Mahant, Managing Director, Sustainable Investments (CDPQ) (Ivanhoé Cambridge)
Session Description:
Academic research already showed that sustainable real estate not only enjoys a significant value premium, but also shows more robust and less volatile financial performance during a time of uncertainty. How do investors and asset managers incorporate sustainability into their underwriting practice? Do they consider asset-level and portfolio-level underwriting differently? What are the challenges? Do investors see a trade-off or a complementarity between E and S? How are they addressing such interactions in their investment strategy?
In this panel, we will discuss the multiple value creation pathways of sustainable real estate, and also explore various sustainable investment and value creation opportunities for a wide range of real estate portfolios.
3:45 PM EDT Closing Remarks
8:00 AM EDT. Session 9: Keynote Address
New Frontiers for Affordable Housing: Opportunities and Challenges
Presenter: Priya Jayachandran, CEO (National Housing Trust)
Session Description:
Priya's presentation will cover the current state of play of affordable housing in the US, including recent victories and opportunities in a new Administration.
For affordable housing owners, the pandemic has had a long tail, and the session will also cover challenges and how we might overcome them.
8:30 AM EDT Session 10: Panel Discussion
Shaping Policy to Advance the Next Generation of Affordable Housing in a Warming World
Panel Moderator: Ed Golding, Executive Director, MIT Goldberg Center for Finance & Policy (MIT Sloan School of Management)
Panelists: Priya Jayachandran, CEO (National Housing Trust),
Tim Judge, SVP, Head of Modeling & Chief Climate Officer (Fannie Mae)
Session Description:
How will technology and AI shape the future of affordable housing?
When we build, we have that stock for 50 plus years. Climate and natural disaster risks will likely increase over that horizon. How do we incorporate these risks into our decisions today about developing affordable housing?
What changes to federal/state/local policy would increase the supply of affordable housing? We care not just about the number of affordable units built, but the neighborhood and location of the units. What advice would you give developers when making these decisions? What role should FHA and the GSEs play in supporting affordable housing?
9:30 AM EDT Break
9:45 AM EDT Session 11: Panel Discussion
Affordable Housing: Provocative Ideas and Applications in the US & Global Cities
Panel Moderator: Albert Saiz, Daniel Rose Associate Professor of Urban Economics & Real Estate; Faculty Director (MIT Urban Economics Lab)
Panelists: Chrystal Kornegay, Executive Director (MassHousing),
Jenny Wu, (MSRED 2012), Managing Director of Development (Jonathan Rose Companies)
Session Description:
The panel will discuss best practices in affordable housing development, finance, and housing strategies for the support of low-income populations. We will discuss the approaches to affordable housing that actually work here in the US, and introduce some of the best practices from around the globe.
10:45 AM EDT Break
11:00 AM EDT Session 12: Panel Discussion
Workplace of the Future: How Technology Will Reinvent the Way We Work and Transform the Very Fabric of Our Cities
Panel Moderator: James Scott, Research Scientist, Lecturer, Director (MIT Real Estate Transformation Lab)
Panelists: Ben Breslau, Chief Research Officer (JLL),
Dror Poleg, Economic Historian, Award-winning author of Rethinking Real Estate,
Jinhua Zhao, Professor of Cities and Transportation, Founder and Faculty Director (MIT Mobility Initiative)
Session Description:
This panel will showcase how the concept of work is changing and what this means for commercial real estate. Looking at all available research, this panel will help the audience better understand how new technologies, future innovations, systemic changes in demand, and mobility will come together to influence how our cities will look in the years to come. How has remote work ultimately changed the purpose and function of our workspaces? How will the geographic mobility of workers, who can move to different regions and cities in search of lower costs of living, higher quality of life, and more opportunities change the established markets in real estate? How will the advancement in technology affect the use of workplaces in the future? What will the downtown of our cities look like in 2030?
12:00 PM EDT Lunch
1:00 PM EDT Session 13: Keynote Address
Decarbonizing the American City with AI
Presenter: Donnel Baird, Founder & CEO (BlocPower)
Session Description:
How can AI can be used to advance building decarbonization?
This presentation will explore how cities around the nation (like Ithaca, New York) are already using AI to prioritize projects based on building characteristics, consumption patterns, and estimated costs while balancing socioeconomic indicators and local target communities.
1:30 PM EDT Session 14: Panel Discussion
How Can Renewable Energy Promote Social Equity in Cities?
Panel Moderator: Fábio Duarte, Principal Research Scientist (MIT Senseable City Lab and Sustainable Urbanization Lab) + Lecturer (MIT DUSP)
Panelists: Donnel Baird, Founder & CEO (BlocPower) and Mark Grinis, America’s Real Estate, Hospitality & Construction Leader (EY)
2:30 PM EDT Break
2:45 PM EDT Session 15: Panel Discussion
Value Creation for Sustainable Real Estate
Panel Moderator: Siqi Zheng, STL Champion Professor of Urban and Real Estate Sustainability; Faculty Director (MIT-CRE) + (MIT SUL)
Panelists: Anna Malhari, Chief Operating Officer (Veris Residential),
Jennifer Leitsch, Managing Director, Climate Change and Sustainability Services (EY),
Sunita Mahant, Managing Director, Sustainable Investments (CDPQ) (Ivanhoé Cambridge)
Session Description:
Academic research already showed that sustainable real estate not only enjoys a significant value premium, but also shows more robust and less volatile financial performance during a time of uncertainty. How do investors and asset managers incorporate sustainability into their underwriting practice? Do they consider asset-level and portfolio-level underwriting differently? What are the challenges? Do investors see a trade-off or a complementarity between E and S? How are they addressing such interactions in their investment strategy?
In this panel, we will discuss the multiple value creation pathways of sustainable real estate, and also explore various sustainable investment and value creation opportunities for a wide range of real estate portfolios.
3:45 PM EDT Closing Remarks
