The AFIRE Podcast
Episodes
Putting AI to Work in Real Estate
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How can investors gain a competitive edge when seeking deals in the hospitality sector? How can hotels use AI to improve the guest experience? And how...
2026 Economic Outlook
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when uncertainty shakes the global economy, and investors start questioning where to put their money? In this episode, AFIRE CEO Gunnar B...
Future City: The Meaning of Buildings
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What is the future of the built environment? The National Building Museum in Washington, DC, where AFIRE members tour this week during our Winter Conf...
Success Story: How to Convert Office to Residential
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Can office buildings from the 1970s and 80s–often dismissed as "garbage”—be the key to solving the US housing crisis? While conventional wisdom ...
Commercial Real Estate and the Cycles of History with Fourth Turning author Neil Howe
12 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How will demographics affect commercial real estate investing? How will changes in generational characteristics affect opportunities in US property ma...
Tax Drama: New US Policy Impact on Cross-Border Investors
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The One Big Beautiful Bill is now signed into law, prompting questions about tax risks, retaliatory measures, and impacts on U.S. real estate. So what...
CRE Status Update: New York City
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time ever, New York City Economic Development Corporation is staging a special Investor Summit in collaboration with AFIRE for internati...
Averting Polycrisis with Michael Neiberg
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Geopolitics is rewriting the rules for commercial real estate investors. Can understanding history’s patterns be the key to figuring out what’s co...
Economic Warfare (and the Lessons of History)
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve entered a new era of geopolitics. From globalization and free trade stabilized by American soft power, we’re now in a more transactional per...
No Red Flares for US Economy
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Despite geopolitical uncertainty and trade tensions, the US economy remains strong, says our latest guest on the AFIRE podcast: Moody’s Chief Econom...
What Housing Can Teach Us About America’s Energy Crisis
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The US needs nearly 4 million homes. That’s a deficit that’s been decades in the making. Years’ worth of zoning restriction pile-ups, underbuild...
Middle Market Alpha
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Neville Rhone, Jr. is the co-founder and managing partner at Arc Capital Partners, a leading institutional real estate owner and investment manager. A...
The Dawn of a New Real Estate Cycle
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brian Klinksiek thinks we’re turning a page to a new market in 2025. “Even with what’s happened with long interest rates, there’s so much othe...
What Real Estate Investors Need to Know about Digital Rights and Augmented Reality
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The next five years are expected to bring groundbreaking tech advancements in augmented (AR) and virtual (VR) reality. Real estate—a traditionally u...
Jim Costello on how the Trump Administration will affect CRE in 2025
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2024 commercial real estate investors were confronted with tremendous changes. What’s the biggest change that will surprise us in 2025—and how ...
Melissa Román Burch on the 2025 New York Office Market
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Contrary to reports of the death of office, demand for certain classes of office space is coming back so strong that New York City developers are stru...
Spencer Levy on 2025 US Real Estate Trends
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How will we get out of the problems in the office sector in the US? How will we solve the housing crisis? Will we see an escalating environment of glo...
Rebecca Rockey on the 2025 CRE Forecast
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We left 2024 expecting surprises from political change and geopolitical shifts. But according to Rebecca Rockey, Deputy Chief Economist and Global Hea...
Byron Carlock on CRE Opportunities in 2025
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our special New Year series provides themes to monitor in the year ahead for commercial real estate investors. This episode of the AFIRE Podcast fea...
Sabrina Unger on Multifamily Markets in 2025
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What are the markets that commercial real estate investors are focused on in 2025? Will markets even matter this year? And which markets are best posi...
Rebecca Rockey on How to Disrupt the Urban Doom Loop
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A recent report from Cushman & Wakefield suggests that “urban doom loops” can be halted and reversed when investors, developers, and planners opti...
Simon Treacy on What the US Can Learn from Asia
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of the challenges facing the US real estate market mirror those seen in the Asia-Pacific region. https://www.afire.org/podcast/202412cast/ So a...
David Kramer on Affordable Housing
27 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can affordable housing become a reality in cities like New York, whose current blueprint and zoning regulation is not easily suited to modern mark...
Tiffany Sanders on Climate Readiness
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forecasters are predicting another record-hot summer in North America. What’s hard to predict, though, is how environmental disasters will affect th...
Melissa Román Burch on New York Housing
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Román Burch is New York City Economic Development Corporation’s chief operating officer—and one of the speakers at the AFIRE Annual Membe...
Ethan Penner on Curing the Office Slowdown
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mosaic Real Estate Investors CEO Ethan Penner, the latest guest on the AFIRE Podcast, doesn’t believe the office sector has hit bottom. https://www...
Mary Ludgin, Senior Advisor for Heitman, on Black Swans
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Commercial real estate in 2024 is dominated by uncertainty. Midway through 2024, nobody is buying at prices people are willing to sell for, and banks ...
Patrick Richard, CEO of Stoneweg, on ESG
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With all of the other troubles currently affecting commercial real estate, should ESG still be a priority? https://www.afire.org/podcast/202405cast/ ...
Paul Bernard on Housing and Affordability
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Affordable housing may be the most important issue facing the commercial real estate industry today. Statistics show a shortage of more than seven mil...
General Stan McChrystal on Managed Risk
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many leaders believe this is the key to becoming fully immune to all future risks—but evading risk forever is just unrealistic. Risk plays a big pa...
Jeffrey Kanne on Data Center Investments
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Technology can be enormously disruptive to commercial real estate. Remote work is responsible for the global devaluation of office properties. Artific...
Mark Zandi on Interest Rates and CRE
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive dissonance abounds in commercial real estate. On the one hand, the Fed is citing strong employment figures and predicting a soft landing. ...
What Climate Change Means for Real Estate Investors (Part 2)
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the tail end of the hottest year on human record, it’s clear that climate change is already here—and not slowing down. In the years ahead, the ...
What Climate Change Means for Real Estate Investors (Part 1)
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The year 2023 has been the hottest year in recent record—and it will likely be the coldest year for the rest of our lives. In the face of these re...
Office Plans (Anthony Malkin, Empire State Realty Trust)
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the overwrought headlines and apocalyptic economic forecasts, office buildings still matter. At the same time, the use of office is changing a...
Empty Offices All Around (Edward Glaeser, Harvard University)
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every headline suggest that our cities are in serious trouble. How will that impact real estate investors, what can be done about it, and what is the ...
Multiple Futures (Mandi Wedin, Feroce Real Estate Advisors)
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A range of fundamental change is forcing real estate investors to closely examine how, where, and why they are investing. The change is not complete ...
What People Want (Hans Nordby, Lionstone Investments)
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hans Nordby, the Head of Analytics and Research for Lionstone Investments, explains how demographic changes are transforming the construction, locatio...
What's the Value? (Matt Pomeroy, Chatham Financial)
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Pomeroy, Director of Valuation, Reporting, and Analytics for Chatham Financial, discusses the challenge of determining accurate valuations when t...
Crossing the Chasm (Scott Rechler, RXR Realty)
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Rechler, CEO of RXR Realty and Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, discusses how 20% of extant office buildings may now be obs...
Centers for Leadership Excellence (Bill Ferguson & Carrie Nowicki)
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Ferguson, President and Carrie Nowicki, COO of the Ferguson Charitable Foundation Centers for Leadership Excellence, discuss how real estate can ...
Accidentally Optimistic (Parag Khanna)
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Parag Khanna, Founder & CEO of Climate Alpha and international bestselling author of seven books, including Move and Connectography, discusses how cli...
Investing, or Gambling? (Ethan Penner, Mosaic Real Estate Investors)
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ethan Penner, CEO of Mosaic Real Estate Investors, reflects on the current landscape of real estate dislocation and how investors need to change their...
Getting Data Right (Michael Mandel, CompStak)
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Mandel, Co-Founder and CEO of CompStak, a marketplace for CRE data, discusses how the use of data is (and is not) changing the practice of glo...
Is Everything Awesome? (Jim Costello, MSCI Real Estate)
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Costello, Chief Economist for MSCI Real Estate, discusses the state of real estate investing in 2023 and the challenges of a very different econom...
The New Science (Brian Biggs, Grosvenor Americas)
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While the real estate industry has long understood the need for data, it still struggles with connecting information to decision making. New strides i...
Smart Money (Jacques Gordon, LaSalle Investment Management & MIT)
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AFIRE CEO and podcast host Gunnar Branson recently sat down with Jacques Gordon of LaSalle Investment Management at a partner event for Informa’s Gl...
Global Fractures (Neil Shearing, Capital Economics)
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Neil Shearing, Group Chief Economist for Capital Economics, joins the AFIRE Podcast with Gunnar Branson to talk about how global economics are “rese...
Brace for Impact (Michael Cooper, Dream Unlimited)
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Michael Cooper, President, Dream Unlimited) https://www.afire.org/podcast/202219cast/ The practice and expectations of investing across a...
Reality or Response?(Brian Klinksiek, LaSalle Investment Management): Part 02
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Brian Klinksiek, Global Head of Research and Strategy for LaSalle Investment Management) www.afire.org/podcast/202218cast/ Across the ent...
Reality or Response?(Brian Klinksiek, LaSalle Investment Management): Part 01
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Brian Klinksiek, Global Head of Research and Strategy for LaSalle Investment Management) https://www.afire.org/podcast/202218cast/ Across...
Eat Your Broccoli! (The Joy of Data Standards in Real Estate)
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jamie Kingsley (NCREIF and PREA) and Constantin Sorlescu (INREV) join the AFIRE Podcast to discuss how global data standards can improve real estate i...
AFIRE Goes to EXPO REAL
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AFIRE recently made our annual return to Munich, Germany, for EXPO REAL, the largest trade fair for real estate and investment in Europe since its for...
Break Open the Zoning Box
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Robert Seldin of Madison Highland Live/Work Lofts) https://www.afire.org/podcast/202215seldin/ Mobile information technology has upended ...
The Garden View
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Martha Peyton, PhD, CRE, Managing Director and Global Head, Real Assets Research, Aegon Asset Management) https://www.afire.org/podcast/20...
The Future Is Affordable
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Episode 2022.13: Featuring Malcolm Johnson, CEO, Langdon Park Capital) https://www.afire.org/podcast/malcolmjohnson/ Malcolm Johnson, CEO of Langdo...
Is Hospitality a Leader in ESG?
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Charlotte Kang, National Hotels and Hospitality Valuation and Advisory Leader; and Emily Chadwick, Lead Risk Adviser and Head of ESG & Risk...
Building a Better Future for Real Estate (P. 2)
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Jeffrey Kanne, President & CEO, National Real Estate Advisors) https://www.afire.org/podcast/jeffreykanne/ Jeffrey Kanne, President and C...
Building a Better Future for Real Estate (P. 1)
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Jeffrey Kanne, President & CEO, National Real Estate Advisors) https://www.afire.org/podcast/jeffreykanne/ Jeffrey Kanne, President and C...
Carry On, Carry Over
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Max LaVictoire, Principal, Hodes Weill & Associates.) https://www.afire.org/podcast/carryon202210/ While continuation vehicles were once ...
Cities That Work: Learning from Europe
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Megan Walters, PhD, Global Head of Research, Allianz Real Estate) https://www.afire.org/podcast/citieswork202209/ Megan Walters, PhD, Glo...
The City Always Wins: Part 2 (ep. 2022.08)
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Parag Kahnna, Founder, FutureMap) The Great Lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic heightened fears that city living—and cities in general—...
The City Always Wins: Part 1 (ep. 2022.08)
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Parag Kahnna, Founder, FutureMap) The Great Lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic heightened fears that city living—and cities in general—...
Predicting the Climate Future: Part 1 (ep. 2022.07)
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are all invested in the cities, assets, and infrastructure of tomorrow, even if we might not live to see the ten largest cities in 2100. But unders...
Predicting the Climate Future: Part 2 (ep. 2022.07)
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are all invested in the cities, assets, and infrastructure of tomorrow, even if we might not live to see the ten largest cities in 2100. But unders...
We Can Build It (ep. 2022.06)
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Daniele Russolillo, COO of Planet Smart City, explains how his company is building affordable communities in India, Brazil, Italy, and the U.S. while ...
Diversifying into Digital (ep. 2022.05)
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Warren Wachsberger, CEO, AECOM Capital) https://www.afire.org/podcast/diversifyingdigital202205/ As investors look for sustainable source...
Choosing Flexibility (ep. 2022.04)
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Tal Peri, Head, US East Coast and Latin America, Union Investment Real Estate.) https://www.afire.org/podcast/choosingflex202204/ Employe...
What Are We Doing in the Office: Part 2 (ep. 2022.03)
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s been a lot of discussion through COVID about work from home and the eventual return to office space. Yet, most predictions are either that e...
What Are We Doing in the Office: Part 1 (ep. 2022.03)
03 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There’s been a lot of discussion through COVID about work from home and the eventual return to office space. Yet, most predictions are either that e...
The Rent is too Damn High! (ep. 2022.02)
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Alicia Glen, Founder and Managing principal of MSquared and former Deputy Mayor of Housing and Economic Development for New York City) htt...
Real Estate Stewardship: Part 2 (ep. 2022.01)
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Dr. Alexis Crow, Lead, Geopolitical Investing Practice, PwC) www.afire.org/podcast/stewardshipcast/ Whether it’s the impact of income i...
Real Estate Stewardship: Part 1 (ep. 2022.01)
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Dr. Alexis Crow, Lead, Geopolitical Investing Practice, PwC) https://www.afire.org/podcast/stewardshipcast/ Whether it’s the impact of ...
Cars are the Problem
18 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Gabe Klein, Co-Founder, CityFi) Cars revolutionized the world when they were invented, but they've also had an oversized role in dictating...
Developing Dayton
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Nan Whaley, Mayor, Dayton, Ohio) The discussion on recovery as COVID begins to decline often focuses on larger US cities. So what’s next...
AFIRE at Expo Real: Sebastian Vetter, DekaBank
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the postponement of the landmark international trade fair Expo Real in 2020, AFIRE was pleased to return to Munich, Germany last month for Expo ...
AFIRE at Expo Real: Janice Stanton, Cushman & Wakefield
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the postponement of the landmark international trade fair Expo Real in 2020, AFIRE was pleased to return to Munich, Germany last month for Expo ...
AFIRE at Expo Real: Martin Brühl, Union Investment Real Estate
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the postponement of the landmark international trade fair Expo Real in 2020, AFIRE was pleased to return to Munich, Germany last month for Expo ...
AFIRE at Expo Real: Joao Andrade, Fidelidade
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After the postponement of the landmark international trade fair Expo Real in 2020, AFIRE was pleased to return to Munich, Germany last month for Expo ...
Supply Change
04 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Melinda McLaughlin, Senior Vice President of Research, Prologis) Urbanization, digitalization, and demographics are the key trends to watc...
Restructuring Infrastructure (Part II)
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Secretary Rodney E. Slater, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs; Congressman Bill Shuster, Senior Policy Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs; Caren Stree...
Restructuring Infrastructure (Part I)
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Secretary Rodney E. Slater, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs; Congressman Bill Shuster, Senior Policy Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs; Caren Stree...
Industry Impacts
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Matt Slepin, Founder, Terra Search Partners) The job market is changing. From worker shortages to an ever younger work force, hiring proce...
Continuing the Conversation
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Michael Bull, CCIM, President, Bull Realty) When casual conversations have become scarce and the world has gone online, how do we keep con...
Enhancing Life Sciences
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Max Shepherd, Director of Global Real Assets, Sheffield Haworth, London, and Jannah Babasa, Senior Associate, Global Real Assets, Sheffield...
Build to Rent Boom
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Stacy Krumin, Partner, Real Estate Practice & Global Board Member, Squire Patton Boggs, and John Thomas, Partner, Real Estate Practice Lead...
Herd Community
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Dave Bragg, Co-Head, Strategic Research, Green Street) Uncertainty surrounding remote work and politics suggest a wide range of potential...
Institutionalizing Single-Family
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Jonathan Ellenzweig, Chief Investment Officer, Tricon Residential) Over the past two decades, the single-family rental industry has evolve...
Influencing Multifamily
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Ernest Lee, Managing Director, Americas, citizenM Hotels) As we come out of the pandemic to a new economy, it seems likely that the creato...
Putting People First
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Lauren Krause, Director of Environment, Social, and Governance, Grosvenor Americas and Brian Biggs, CFA, Research Director, Grosvenor Ameri...
What Happens Next?
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Paula Campbell Roberts, Managing Director, Global Macro, Balance Sheet and Risk and Real Estate Americas, KKR) During times of constant ch...
A Look at the UK Office Market
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
https://www.afire.org/podcast/londoncallingcast/ With Brexit and pandemic resolutions coming into focus, pricing disparities could dissipate based on...
Rising Pressure / State and Local Fiscal Challenges
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
https://www.afire.org/podcast/risingpressurecast/ The increasing burden of state and local taxes required to face the mounting level of unfunded pens...
Are Inflation Fears Rational?
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Martha Peyton, Managing Director, Head of Global Applied Research, Aegon Asset Management) For commercial real estate investors, inflation...
Truth is the Bottom Line (Part II)
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
https://www.afire.org/podcast/michaelbirkincast/ After everything we have been through over the past eighteen months, the way we communicate with cli...
Truth is the Bottom Line (Part I)
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Michael Birkin, CEO, kyu) After everything we have been through over the past eighteen months, the way we communicate with clients, invest...
The Test Is Now Upon Us
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring William J. Ferguson, Chairman, CEO, Ferguson Partners) Facing fiscal challenges, social unrest, geopolitical conflict, climate change, sup...
Shock Paddles for Cities
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Frances Mennone, Advisor, Consultant Cross Street Partners, and Bruce Katz, Co-Founder, The New Localism) When the pandemic first spread a...
Sustaining the Future
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Dongsoo Kim, Director of the Sustainability Management Center, Korea Productivity Center) Because the standards and expectations are diffe...
Mediating Real Estate
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
(Featuring Steve Weikal, Head of Industry Relations and CRE Technology, MIT Real Estate Innovation Lab) In the past two years alone, more than $50 bi...