UNAS1725/ECON1704: Real Estate and Urban Action: Transforming Communities and Increasing Access to Opportunity

3 Credits

Professor: Neil McCullagh and Geoffrey Sanzenbacher

Real Estate and Urban Action is a core problem class for first-year students, co-taught with the Economic Department faculty. It addresses social, economic, and racial inequality, focusing on housing, labor markets, and wealth accumulation. The curriculum covers affordable housing history,the Columbia Point to Harbor Point transformation, and a practical simulation. Theoretical and data-driven labor market analyses spanning 40 years reveal growing inequality. The course highlights how housing and job shortages hinder generational wealth, prompting students to propose solutions via projects and simulations for improved communities.

 

BSLW2000: State of Affordable Housing in the States

3 Credits

Thursday, 4:30-7:00pm in Fulton Hall 423

Professor: David Price

This course explores the impact of housing on American's lives, covering national, state, and local housing policies and planning. It examines programs that subsidize housing and improve access to decent living conditions. Topics include housing finance, design, community planning, inequality, operations management, and sustainability. Students evaluate recently developed programs and their role in community revitalization through discussions and group presentations. 

 

BSLW2207: Urban Design for Complexity & Sustainability

3 Credits

Wednesday 4:30-6:30 PM, Stokes Hall 117S

Professor: Matthew Littell

This course explores 21st-century urban demands, new policies, technologies, and design approaches. Topics include city form factors, zoning, real estate, transportation, environment, and aesthetics. Professionals will use case studies, surveys, and presentations. Students will learn about zoning, real estate metrics, planning, architecture, and urban design. The semester concludes with a final project covering multiple topics.

BSLW2208: Urban Action Lab 

3 Credits

Tuesday/Thursday 10:30 - 11:45 AM,

Carney Hall 4th Floor 

Professor: Taylor Perkins

Urban Action Lab is a semester long class that provides students with first hand experience within the field of real estate and urban action, working on projects that advance affordable housing and access to opportunity. Students pursue research projects in partnership with mission driven organizations from across the City of Boston. Each project is completed in collaboration with a partner organization and are selected based on their potential for high-impact contribution to the organization. Project components include research, evaluation, interviewing, and writing. Students will work in close collaboration with partner agencies and fellow students. The class will meet once per week and will occasionally require students to attend meetings off-campus.

BSLW2222: Real Estate Transactions

3 Credits

Monday/Wednesday 3:00-4:15 PM, Devlin Hall 10

Professors: Edward Chazen and Joseph Herlihy

Real Estate Transactions, is a new course that will examine real estate deals through a practitioner perspective that integrates the business and legal aspects of acquiring land and buildings; designing, developing and constructing buildings; financing and loan workouts; leasing and landlord/tenant rights; managing, operating and selling income property. The course will look at each step of the process in consummating a real estate transaction and the role of various parties - property owner; bank or other lender; investor and buyer of tax credits; tenant; attorneys for different parties; city agency; architect; general contractor and others integral to the success (or failure) of the transaction. The course will be team-taught by a CSOM business and law professor, each with many years of teaching and practical experience negotiating, documenting and closing real estate transactions. The format of the course will include lectures, many case studies, simulations of negotiating transactions and selected guest speakers to supplement the course work with real world experiences. The primary student learning goals are to understand the complexity of business and legal issues in a real estate transaction; how to document key aspects in term sheets, letters of intent and other steps in the process; and, develop sound and effective negotiating skills.

BSLW 1125: Real Estate Fundamentals

3 Credits

Monday/Wednesday 1:30-2:45 PM, Devlin Hall 10

Professor: Edward Chazen

This is as an introduction to the real estate industry, looking at it from multiple perspectives. Through lectures, case studies and guests speakers, we will explore the largest asset class in the world. We will learn industry terminology and how leases create property cash flow; how design and market research influences projects; how tenants make leasing decisions; and the role of the public sector and the community in approval and financing - often to advance public purposes - and the tension between the private developer and public sector; we will study affordable, low income and senior housing.

BSLW2200: Real Estate Colloquium I

Tuesday 4:30-6:30pm, Stokes 195S

1 Credit

Professor: Neil McCullagh 

Meet leaders in the industry. Network with professionals. Lead critical discussions about the present and future of Real Estate. The course meets weekly throughout the semester, and students attend seven of fourteen sessions and co-host at least one session with a classmate. Real Estate Colloquium offers a comprehensive real estate overview featuring sessions led by industry professionals covering finance, investment, law, planning, and public policy. Topics include REITs, capital markets, leasing, brokerage, and development. Through moderated discussions with diverse industry representatives, students explore their interests and gain insights into career potential academic and career paths within real estate.

Real Estate Case Competitions 

1 Credit

Professor: Thomas Pereira

The class will meet weekly in modules with the objective to develop skills in the following areas: be able to effectively analyze a real estate case, determine feasible alternatives, craft a recommendation, implement recommendations, and prepare for judges’ questions. The course will also help students with a PowerPoint presentation for case competitions and oral tips for such a competition.  The 9 week course will end with the Corcoran Center Annual National Affordable Housing Case Competition.

BSLW2200: Community Development and the Evolution of Place-Making

1 Credit

Professor: TBD

Tuesday 10:30-12:00 PM, Gasson Hall 309

What goes into neighborhood transformation? Community Development & the Evolution of Place-Making, immerses students in the multifaceted challenges of community development covering topics such as community mobilization, equity, organizing, sustainable development, and community empowerment. In Community Development & the Evolution of Place-Making, students explore positive social change by engaging with large-scale transformational housing projects. Through lectures, site visits, and case studies, students will see transformational projects and learn from a renowned expert in community transformation. The class emphasizes collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and involving community members in decision-making to ensure the development initiatives are contextually relevant and sustainable. Community Development & the Evolution of Place-Making is a gateway for students to develop knowledge and further explore community development related to community engagement, public policy, and real estate.