How Real Estate Developers Think: Design, Profits, and Community

The City in the Twenty-First Century

By: Peter Hendee Brown

Narrated by: Chaz Allen

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Cities are always changing: streets, infrastructure, public spaces, and buildings are constantly being built, improved, demolished, and replaced. But even when a new project is designed to improve a community, neighborhood residents often find themselves at odds with the real estate developer who proposes it.

Savvy developers are willing to work with residents to allay their concerns and gain public support, but at the same time, a real estate development is a business venture financed by private investors who take significant risks. Peter Hendee Brown explains the interests, motives, and actions of real estate developers, using case studies to show how the basic principles of development remain the same everywhere, even as practices vary based on climate, local culture, and geography.

How Real Estate Developers Think considers developers from three different perspectives. Brown profiles the careers of individual developers to illustrate the character of the entrepreneur; considers the roles played by innovation, design, marketing, and sales in the production of real estate; and examines the risks and rewards that motivate developers as people. Ultimately, How Real Estate Developers Think portrays developers as creative visionaries who are able to imagine future possibilities for our cities and communities and shows that understanding them will lead to better outcomes for neighbors, communities, and cities.

This book is published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

©2015 University of Pennsylvania Press (P)2015 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Brown makes the great point that less conflict and more cooperation should lead to far better buildings and cities that are better places to live and work." ( Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Development

A good basic overview of the development process and miami developers along with other cities

Such a dynamic educational book

Taken so many gems from this books as I change my career into the world of development .

I've learned so much from this book!

This book is great I've read through it 3 times this last month. It covers so many areas of development. If you are experienced or new to development you will learn something from this book.

Worth It

Great read. Very informative. Narration was excellent. I really enjoyed the in depth case studies from different developers and their projects ranging as far back as the 1800's to late 2000's. Have several notes and bookmarks throughout.. I will listen to it again for sure.

Useful perspectives on real estate development

Insightful stories from a series of developers with ranging product types, with a focus on entrepreneurial development.

useful helpful

i think it is a useful book i would recommend it. i did learn from this book

informative, concise and enjoyable

I am a civil engineer and i wanted to learn more about developers. This book did an excellent job covering several successful developers and their thought process and strategies for developing land.

My 1st real estate Audio book!

Peter Brown has done a wonderful job with this book! I'd love to chance to speak with him over a coffee or two one day.

What I loved;

There are many stories in this book about developers the average person more than likely never heard of. The best part about the stories is that many of the developers add their own two cents and how / why they got to their level of success so you're able to implement that same skill into your business.

I'm not a developer but do own a multi family home in Bermuda + surrounded by many developers and investors who've recommend this book to me in the past. I now see why.

This book is great for amateurs and veterans!

Rookie developer

This book is great to learn about the general basis of real estate development! Amazing book.

Insight to the world and mindset of developer's

This is an excellent view of how development takes place. If you want to know more after reading this, I highly encourage you to reach out to the local Planning department and read some of your cities municipal code. This book pulls from some very qualified sources and offers a wide breadth of developments both geographically in different submarkets, and by type of land use.