Sustainable Development
Recent Features
Last Word: Smart Executives Are Paying Attention to Rural Opportunity Zones
The permanent extension of Opportunity Zones under the 2025 OBBBA creates a rare opening for business leaders to shape where federal investment flows — and rural America may hold the strongest opportunities for long-term strategic growth.
Why Utilities Are Becoming Developers
The energy transition is reshaping real estate strategy as utilities and corporations compete for control of generation assets.
A New Era in Conservation and Economic Opportunity
MABA reframes conservation policy by emphasizing incentives, partnerships, and business-friendly opportunities across sectors.
How Greeley, Colorado Is Using Aquifers to Future-Proof Its Economy
Faced with the prospect of building a massive $700 million surface reservoir, Greeley instead pursued something few communities have dared to try.
A Zebra in the Room
A surprising encounter reveals why environmental due diligence isn’t just paperwork — it’s protection.
Energy Costs and Constraints Are Reshaping Site Selection in 2025
Surging energy demands, grid instability, and ESG pressures are changing how companies choose new facility locations.
What It Takes to Power the Next Generation of Biomanufacturing
Flexible utilities and workforce pipelines are essential to meet growing life sciences manufacturing demand.
Implementing Effective Sustainability Strategies for Building Projects
Sustainability has moved from a buzzword to a critical business practice, driven by government regulations and building codes as well as end-user expectations.
Designing Beyond the Assembly Line
Comprehensive planning transforms manufacturing facilities into hubs of efficiency and community growth, addressing workforce needs, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Large-Scale Projects Face Financing Challenges
Executives have been forced to find new ways to finance projects.
Driving the Future of Domestic Battery Recycling: A Conversation with Steven Wu, COO of ABTC
In this exclusive conversation with Area Development, Steven Wu, the newly minted Chief Operating Officer of American Battery Technology Company (ABTC), discusses ABTC’s strategy to play a pivotal role in the U.S. domestic supply chain.
NEW NIMBYism: A Threat to The U.S. Economy
[There is a] false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’ - Isaac Asimov
Beyond Square Footage: Mission-Driven Differentiation Helps Buildings Stand Out in Battle for HQs
Companies prioritize values and mission when choosing modern headquarters locations.
Microsoft-Three Mile Island Deal Could Signal Path for Nuclear Power to Strengthen Partnerships with Big Tech
Nuclear power and big tech form new energy partnerships for sustainability.
Retail Construction: Adapting and Thriving in a Changing Market
Retailers must adapt to experiential trends to thrive in today's market.
California’s ARCHES Hydrogen Hub an opportunity for industries with big ESG goals
A new hydrogen hub supports businesses with ambitious ESG objectives.
Around the Horn: A Discussion About the Cost, Sustainability, and Innovation in Rail Infrastructure for Modern Supply Chains
A discussion with JC Renshaw (Savills), Joe Dunlap (Legacy Investing) and Matt Powers (OnPace Partners), about the state of rail infrastructure for site selectors.
Semiconductors’ Fragile Relationship With Water May Be Tested
Exploring the water dilemma in semiconductor manufacturing: how the industry's growth is increasing demand for a scarce resource and the innovative strategies companies are adopting to manage their water use in water-stressed regions.
Electric Vehicles: Funding Infrastructure to Achieve 50% by 2030
Achieving the Biden administration's ambitious EV goals requires innovative solutions, strategic partnerships, and significant investments in both charging stations and electrical grid enhancements.
The Critical Role of Real Estate in Site Selection Projects
Strategically selecting sites that optimize economic, logistical, and sustainability factors, not only enhances operational efficiency but also secures a robust foundation for future growth and success.
What the Latest EPA PFAS Rule Means for Site Due Diligence
The new rule brings wide-ranging impacts for property owners and operators.
Understanding AI’s Place in Capital Construction
Adopting AI in capital projects could revolutionize planning, design, and construction, driving efficiency and sustainability while addressing challenges like limited expertise and data complexity.
In Focus: Is This Community Approach the Blueprint for Sustainable Industrial Development?
Industrial designers are exploring the transformative potential of landscape architecture to harmonize industrial development with environmental sustainability and community well-being.
Resiliency: The Case for Fortifying Business against Climate Change
The new frontier in site selection for companies has everything to do with keeping things running during increasingly wild storms and weather patterns.
The Risks and Realities of Megasite Mania: Navigating the Mid-Tier Client Landscape
The recent focus on projects requiring megasites may cause communities to lose sight of developing smaller-scale sites that could bring mid-tier companies to their communities, fostering job creation and diversified economic growth.
Green Concrete Initiatives Fight Climate Change
Innovative measures and legislation propel the adoption of eco-friendly building materials.
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.
Contributed Content
Speed to Site: How Ohio Is Removing Barriers to Major Investments
JobsOhio’s SiteOhio program is designed to give companies certainty on timelines, infrastructure, and due diligence before a project even begins.
Contributed Content
An Innovative, Delicious Solution to an Invasive Threat
Virginia is transforming an invasive blue catfish population into an economic development opportunity, supporting seafood processing, rural job growth and environmental restoration along the Chesapeake Bay.
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.
Editor's Note: The Year Site Selection Grew Up
Energy availability takes center stage as companies compete for grid capacity and rethink growth strategies
Laying the Future’s Foundation in Rowen
Georgia’s newest innovation district bets big on climate-ready infrastructure and long-term planning.
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.
First Person: Joe Capes, CEO, LiquidStack
LiquidStack CEO Joe Capes on choosing Texas for expansion, working through AI supply chain shocks, and why hot water is the future of cooling.
Around the Horn: Getting Power to Projects-A Discussion
Guest Editor Bradley Migdal leads an illuminating discussion with Karla T. Moran, Manager of Economic Development at Salt River Project, and Coleman Peiffer, Senior Business Attraction Manager at Alliant Energy, exploring infrastructure challenges and solutions for large-scale manufacturing and data center projects. This conversation has been lightly edited for style and space.
Contributed Content
Kinetic Energy Attracting Investments Throughout Kansas
Kansas has earned its global reputation as a force in the renewable energy industry.
