| Annual Joint Conference with the Real Estate Center & the Chaddick Institute Explores Financing Infrastructure | |
On Wednesday, November 28, the Real Estate Center and the Chaddick Institute hosted a joint conference: Financing the Future: Improving Municipal Infrastructure in Turbulent Economic Times. The speakers addressed issues surrounding the significant infrastructure repairs and maintenance on both the national and local levels and the prospects for private/public partnerships.
 | | Jim Pass, Joe Schwieterman, Susanne Cannon, Steven Koch and Phil Hanegraaf |
Leading the discussion on the local level, Steven Koch, Deputy Mayor of the City of Chicago, discussed the overall infrastructure requirements for the city as well as the relatively small number of projects that will be funded by the much talked about Chicago Infrastructure Trust. These public/private projects are likely to be restricted to improving Chicago's digital reach along with other non-traditional infrastructure improvements. The bulk of Chicago's infrastructure projects, including repairing and updating the sewer systems and roads, will be financed through more traditional sources of funding such as general obligation and revenue bonds.
From the investor's point of view, Jim Pass, Managing Director, Municipals at Guggenheim Partners, discussed the investor appetite for both tax exempt and taxable bonds and talked about the role each plays in the investor's portfolio and how they provide return and duration.
Closing and rounding out the program, Phil Hanegraaf, VP and National Planning Market Leader with RS&H, took the audience through a number of examples of existing public/private transportation projects including the Santa Ana, CA Street Car; Western Access to O'Hare airport; and the Cotton Belt Tollway near Dallas. Many of these projects incorporate "value capture" where the property owners near the new improvements are required to pay per square foot of building or lot size because their property values have increased as a result of the improvements.
Attendees of this remarkable program included public officials, planners, architects, engineers and investors.
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Market Analysis Seminar Available Online
| On September 28, Larry Lund, principal at Real Estate Planning Group, and Tracy Cross, president at Tracy Cross Associates, Inc., presented a seminar called, "Market Analysis: What You Need to Know to Evaluate Real Estate Opportunities." This afternoon program was designed for investors, lenders, developers, brokers, and property/asset managers whose job is to make decisions about micro and macro site location, investment timing, and allocation of resources. Participants learned where to get data, how to evaluate data, and how to apply principles that govern human behavior to make informed decisions.
The course covered retail, office, industrial, and residential development as well as evaluating existing property potential and redevelopment. For real estate professionals who were not able to attend the session, it is now available online for a $65 fee. Register here to access the three-hour program; access remains active for one week. 
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Faculty Activities
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Susanne Cannon moderated a panel discussion on infill development for a conference co-hosted by ULI Arizona, Valley Forward and Arizona Forward in Phoenix on November 13. The discussion explored myths, challenges and case studies of infill development to lay the foundation for future dialog, policy and action for Metro Phoenix and the State of Arizona. Panelists included Janice Cervelli, Dean of the College of Architecture & Landscape at the University of Arizona; Greg Esser, Desert Initiative Director at ASU Art Museum and Don Garner, Executive Vice President of Alliance Bank.
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Real Estate Students Attend National Industry Conferences
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The Charles H. Wurtzebach and Susan M. Marshall Endowed Scholarship provides funding for students to travel and attend real estate conferences across the the country. Most recently, graduate students Nicole Drewery and Amber Hendley with undergraduate student Christina Maksimovic attended the ULI 2012 Fall Meeting, "What's Next: Real Estate in the New Economy", in Denver on October 16-19. In addition, on October 22-24, graduate students Derek Fohl and David Keane went to the Pension Real Estate Association 22nd Annual Investor Real Estate Conference in Beverly Hills.
According to Fohl, "Attending the annual PREA conference was a fantastic experience. The conference provided an opportunity to hear from executive level real estate professionals around the country regarding some of the hot-topics in the industry: where REIT's are investing - within the U.S. and abroad, liquidity in the marketplace, European sovereign-debt crisis, unemployment rate, etc. In addition, we were invited to some exclusive networking events that allowed us to socialize with various industry professionals. I would encourage every DePaul student to take advantage and apply for future travel scholarships offered through The Real Estate Center. In my mind, the people you meet and relationships you build is all part of the DePaul experience!"
 | | Christina Maksimovic, Mary Ludgin, Nicole Drewery and Amber Hendley |
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Join the Conversations on the Real Estate Center Social Networking Websites
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You no longer have to wait for our monthly newsletter to be up to date with the Real Estate Center. The Real Estate Center has recently joined the social networking movement on both Facebook and LinkedIn. Join these groups to receive up to the minute information about the Real Estate Center.
 
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| Endowment Donors | |
Douglas & Cynthia Crocker
Michael J. Horne Education & Healthcare Assistance Foundation
Kenneth McHugh Endowment Fund
George L. Ruff
Studley Inc. Jacque Ducharme Faculty Fellow Fund
Robert & Howard Weitzman Endowed Scholarship
Charles H. Wurtzebach & Susan M. Marshall
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