The 2015 LOCUS New England Leadership Summit: Closing the Next [Smart Growth] Deal was held on March 11, 2015 in Boston, MA. More than 175 real estate professionals and local elected leaders from the greater Boston area came together for the event.

The first-ever regional summit provided participants with a forum to discuss business opportunities with the leading and most cutting edge real estate developers and investors in the region, as well as heard about exciting new research. Read a full recap of the event here >>

We hope you enjoyed connecting with your colleagues at the Summit and will join us in the movement to advance walkable places across the country by becoming a LOCUS member. Take a look below at some of the events and resources from the summit.

Release of WalkUP Wake-Up Call: Boston
LOCUS President Chris Leinberger unveiled WalkUP Wake-Up Call: Boston, new research about the future of development in greater Boston. The report studied the land use, economic, and social equity performance of all 3100 square miles of the Boston metropolitan area. 57 walkable urban places (or “WalkUPs”) and 14 emerging WalkUps were identified as neighborhoods best suited for future development. WalkUPs have price premiums of 20 to 134 percent when compared to drivable suburban places, and generate 12 times as much tax revenue as neighborhoods in edge cities. Neighborhoods were also evaluated based on their social equity performance, which took into consideration the area’s housing and transportation costs. Read the research >>

2015 LOCUS New England Leadership Award
The first regional LOCUS New England Leadership Awards were presented that afternoon. Alex Twining, President and CEO of Twining Properties, was named the New England Developer of the Year for his more than 30 year history of transit-oriented development projects in the Boston area and along Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. And the HYM Investment Group, LLC was named the New England Investment Company of the Year. For over 35 years, HYM’s success in managing complex mixed-use developments in Boston and Cambridge sets itself apart from other investors in New England.

Panel Presentations

The Future of Infrastructure Development: Cutting Edge Solutions for the Region and the U.S. – Transportation infrastructure and land use experts discussed the specifics of the policy changes needed to increase and improve infrastructure for greater opportunity, amenities and necessities for all residents.

• Richard Henderson, Executive Vice President, MassDevelopment
• Mary Beth Mello, Regional Administrator, U.S. DOT – Federal Transit Administration

Turning Local Practice into State and Federal Policy – This session discussed key issues that need to be addressed at the state and federal level to set forth new principles to support and sustain the revitalization efforts happening in communities throughout New England.

R.E.A.L Talks
The Real Estate Advocacy and Leadership Talks (R.E.A.L Talks) and off-the-record sessions featured industry experts presenting on topics such as mission-driven development and community revitalization and how those issues intersect with smart growth development.

Presentations from the R.E.A.L. Talk Speakers are available below:

Bridging the Gap between Affordability and Profitability

• Chryse Gibson, Executive Vice President, Oaktree/Greenline
• Jair Lynch, President, JAIR LYNCH DEVELOPMENT
• Clark Ziegler, Executive Director, Massachusetts Housing Partnership

Re-imagining Communities and Revitalization

• Dan Rizzo, Mayor, City of Revere, MA
• Don Briggs, President, Federal Realty Boston

Silver Sponsor: 

Bronze Sponsor:

Presented with generous support from:

Presented in Partnership with:

The 2015 LOCUS New England Leadership Summit is also hosted by the LOCUS Steering Committee.