Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.
Site selection companies help developers and corporations identify and evaluate locations for new facilities, covering market screening, site analysis, and incentive negotiation. This guide explains how they work, what they charge, and where AI-native tools are compressing the traditional analytical layer.
April 4, 2026 ·4 min read
Digital infrastructure funds from DigitalBridge, Stonepeak, Blackstone, and others have committed over $100 billion to data centers, fiber, and towers. This piece explains fund structures, return profiles by risk tier, and what real estate developers need to know to position for partnership capital.
April 3, 2026 ·4 min read
U.S. industrial vacancy has risen to 7.2% from its pandemic low, but demand from e-commerce, nearshoring, and manufacturing reshoring remains intact. This post covers market conditions by submarket type, core development criteria, and where AI is compressing site screening and underwriting timelines.
April 3, 2026 ·5 min read
AI-native services firms replace the analyst pyramid at its foundation, not at the margin. This piece explains what the AI-native delivery model looks like, how to distinguish it from AI-enhanced traditional firms, and why institutional real estate development is the clearest case study for the shift.
April 3, 2026 ·5 min read
Real estate development combines high workflow density, rich data availability, deal velocity pressure, and an established outsourcing baseline -- making it one of the strongest verticals for AI-native professional services firms.
April 2, 2026 ·4 min read
Digital infrastructure encompasses data centers, fiber networks, cell towers, and energy systems that power the internet. This piece explains the three physical layers, the capital flowing into the sector from firms like Blackstone and KKR, and how AI is reshaping the site selection and development workflow for these complex assets.
April 2, 2026 ·4 min read
Underwriting is where development deals live or die. This guide covers revenue assumptions, cost structure, returns analysis, debt sizing, and sensitivity testing -- the full workflow institutional development teams use before committing capital, including where AI is compressing the research phase.
April 2, 2026 ·4 min read
Industrial real estate development is entering a more rigorous underwriting environment after the pandemic demand surge. This post covers site criteria by asset type, tenant requirement-driven program design, build-to-suit vs. spec considerations, and how AI is compressing the site screening and permitting workflow for industrial developers.
April 2, 2026 ·5 min read
When due diligence, site analysis, and investment memo prep are delivered as a service rather than built in-house or outsourced to consultants, the economics and workflow of institutional development teams change fundamentally.
April 1, 2026 ·4 min read