Top Ten Archive

2021-22 Top Ten

  1. Remote Work & Mobility
  2. Technology Acceleration and Innovation
  3. ESG at a Tipping Point
  4. Logistics
  5. Infrastructure: New Imperatives Emerge
  6. Housing Supply and Affordability
  7. Political Polarization
  8. Economic Structural Change
  9. Adaptive Reuse 2.0
  10. Bifurcation of Capital Markets

2020-21 Top Ten

  1. COVID-19
  2. Economic Renewal
  3. Capital Market Risk
  4. Public & Private Indebtedness
  5. Affordable Housing
  6. Flow of People
  7. Space Utilization
  8. Technology & Workflow
  9. Infrastructure
  10. ESG

2019-20 Top Ten

  1. Infrastructure
  2. Housing in America
  3. Weather And Climate-Related Risks
  4. The Technology Effect
  5. End-Of-Cycle Economics
  6. Political Division
  7. Capital Market Risk
  8. Population Migration
  9. Volatility and Confidence
  10. Public & Private Indebtedness

2018-19 Top Ten

Current Issues

  1. Interest Rates & The Economy
  2. Politics & Political Uncertainty
  3. Housing Affordability
  4. Generational Change/Demographics
  5. E-commerce & Logistics

Longer-Term Issues

  1. Infrastructure
  2. Disruptive Technology
  3. Natural Disasters & Climate Change
  4. Immigration
  5. Energy & Water

On the Watch List:

  • Construction Costs
  • Tax Cuts
  • Urbanization/Suburbanization
  • Societal Leadership

2017-18 Top Ten

  1. Political Polarization and Global Uncertainty
  2. The Technology Boom
  3. Generational Disruption
  4. Retail Disruption
  5. Infrastructure Investment
  6. Housing: The Big Mismatch
  7. Lost Decades of the Middle Class
  8. Real Estate’s Emerging Role in Healthcare
  9. Immigration
  10. Climate Change

On the Watch List:

  • Tax Reform & Monetary Policy
  • Other Policy Issues
  • Cannabis

2016-17 Top Ten

  1. The Changing Global Economy
  2. Debt Capital Markets Retrenchment
  3. Demographic Shifts
  4. Densification/Urbanization
  5. Political Instability
  6. Housing Affordability and Access Constraints
  7. The Disappearing Middle Class
  8. Energy
  9. The Sharing/ Virtual Economy
  10. The Rise of Experiential Retail

On the Watch List:

  • 21st Century Manufacturing & Industrial
  • Infrastructure
  • Unknown Unknowns

2015-16 Top Ten

  1. Demographic Shifts
  2. Excess Capital Supply
  3. Rising Interest Rates
  4. Global Instability/Currency Devaluation
  5. Urbanization
  6. Energy
  7. The Gap Between Rich & Poor
  8. Infrastructure
  9. Real Estate Technology/Crowdsourcing
  10. The Changing Retail Model

On the Watch List:

  • Changing Office Space Demand
  • Manufacturing
  • Water
  • Sustainability

2014-15 Top Ten

  1. Energy
  2. Jobs
  3. The Millennials
  4. Health Care
  5. Globalization
  6. Water
  7. Capital Markets
  8. Housing
  9. Manufacturing
  10. Agriculture

On the Watch List:

  • Mexico
  • Big Data

2013 Top Ten

  1. Low Interest and Capitalization Rate Risks
  2. Health Care
  3. Capital Market Resurgence
  4. Event Risks
  5. Effects of Climate Change/Weather on Coastal Properties
  6. Echo Boomer Housing Demand
  7. Implications of Increased Natural Gas and Reserves on the U.S. Economy
  8. Global Real Estate Growth and Risk
  9. The Impact of Technology on Office Space
  10. Retail Malaise & Repositioning

2012 Top Ten

  1. Aging Population
  2. Funding of Public Employee Retirement Systems
  3. Student Debt Burdens
  4. Infrastructure Funding and US Competitiveness
  5. Changing Office and Retail Demand
  6. Real Estate Capital Markets Liquidity
  7. Global Change and Uncertainty
  8. Integration of Sustainability
  9. Low Cap Rates
  10. Civil Discord and Political Gridlock