Construction / Project Planning
Recent Features
Last Word: Don’t Lose by Winning
As site scarcity shifts corporate decisions from parcels to people, execution—not assets—is becoming the real differentiator.
Capitalizing on the OBBBA Before the 2026 Cliff
Discover how the OBBBA creates a short-lived opportunity for modular developers to accelerate deductions, leverage restored bonus depreciation, and meet tight 2026 energy-incentive deadlines.
Economic Developer Role Shifting from Deal-Making to Systems Stewardship
New research shows how economic development leadership is shifting beyond deals and incentives.
Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation: Building America's Future
From advanced nuclear to mass-timber logistics facilities and Atlanta’s next growth chapter, this podcast episode connects the dots on energy, workforce, and infrastructure decisions shaping competitive locations nationwide.
Manhattan’s Old Ramps, New Logistics
In an undersupplied NYC market, a historic multistory facility shows why what seemed obsolete is now indispensable for last-mile distribution.
Data Centers in 2025: When Power Became the Gatekeeper
The era of easy expansion is over—success now depends on early alignment among utilities, governments, and capital.
A Single Front Door for Corporate Investment in Fort Worth
Manufacturers and corporate real estate executives often talk about speed to market and clarity of process as deciding factors in site selection. Fort Worth is testing what happens when a city reorganizes itself around those principles.
The Cold Chain Sector Recalibration
A surge of new supply, aging legacy facilities, and shifting operator strategies are creating a widening divide between modern, efficient assets and obsolete space across the nation’s cold storage footprint.
Who’s Liable When AI Builds?
Legal risks and the rise of the AI clause in construction contracts.
Why Utilities Are Becoming Developers
The energy transition is reshaping real estate strategy as utilities and corporations compete for control of generation assets.
The Office Is Back but Is the Portfolio Strategy Aligned?
Reestablishing the value of the office has driven trends in workplace investment and location strategy
If a Site Sounds Too Good to Be True…
Learn how to separate marketing spin from real-world readiness when evaluating community proposals.
The Permit Puzzle and the Path to Groundbreaking
Why the most successful projects build permitting strategy into their earliest site and construction decisions.
Scoring the Site
How site selectors score locations — and what executives should know about the process.
Too Much of a Good Thing: Can Overbuilt Spec Development Benefit Manufacturers?
Power supply, infrastructure, and specs often fall short for manufacturers eyeing overbuilt logistics sites.
Electrons Are the New Gatekeepers
As grid capacity tightens, manufacturers must treat energy as a core site selection filter.
Site Selection Numbers vs. Reality
Why You Should Question Every Stat in a Site Proposal.
Automotive Site Selection Is Evolving as Future Mobility Takes Hold
As the industry accelerates toward electrification and advanced mobility, site selectors and real estate teams are prioritizing adaptable facilities, talent proximity, and logistical readiness over traditional scale.
Investors Seek Shelter in Food-Focused Real Estate
Cold storage and grocery-anchored retail are proving to be safe havens as consumer behavior shifts and CRE volatility grows.
A New Era in Conservation and Economic Opportunity
MABA reframes conservation policy by emphasizing incentives, partnerships, and business-friendly opportunities across sectors.
Where Cold Chain Meets Culture: How Karis Cold is blending art and infrastructure in Chicago
Cold storage with character? Karis Cold’s Stockyards Cold facility in Chicago blends infrastructure with public art—redefining what it means to build a logistics hub in a legacy district.
Reshoring Reality Check from Construction
How tariffs and economic incentives are influencing FDI and location decisions.
How to Manage the Surge in Building Costs
Construction firms are navigating supply shocks, labor shortages and policy pressures with smarter, early-stage coordination.
Rewriting the Rules of Warehouse ROI
Embedding automation into leases may offer companies a smarter way to balance risk, cost and productivity.
A Zebra in the Room
A surprising encounter reveals why environmental due diligence isn’t just paperwork — it’s protection.
Last Word: Time for States to Shine
With federal action slowing and market forces accelerating, private firms are finding that the most effective policy responses—on issues like energy, housing, and workforce—are coming from state and local governments with the agility to act.
The Evolving Landscape of AI Infrastructure
AI is reshaping site strategy. This episode explores compressing “Time to First Token,” power-first location decisions, and the execution discipline executives need as data centers scale, faster than real estate cycles.
Editor's Note: Raising the Bar on Readiness
Contributed Content
Laying the Groundwork for Success: Kentucky’s Speed-to-Market Initiatives Are Fueling Future Economic Growth
Kentucky’s Product Development Initiative is translating preparation into performance.
Phillip Morris International Starting Building Before Plans
How a factory went from an idea to operational in about two years.
Peek a Boo Data Centers
AI’s power hunger is pushing data centers underground, underwater—and soon into orbit—redefining cooling, reliability, and sustainable energy.
How to Spot a Community That’s Ready for Your Investment
A Site Selector’s Guide for Separating the Real Partners From Pretenders.
Rethinking Local Governments Through Consolidation and Choice
Voluntary regional consolidation can deliver what corporate project teams value most: predictability, speed and scale. Indiana’s experience and international models show how optional, capacity-building frameworks make regions more investable.
Editor’s Note: Thriving at the Intersection of Change
First Person: Filter King’s Expansion Playbook
CEO Rick Hoskins explains how the fast-growing air filter company selects its sites, scales its labor-heavy operation, and maintains speed-to-customer across multiple U.S. regions.
First Person: Karis Cold’s Ken Verne on Urban Demand, Automation, and the Infrastructure Gap
Karis Cold’s Ken Verne joins Area Development to talk about urban infill opportunities, automation readiness, ESG strategy, and why facilities need to be designed for 2030—not just today’s needs.
