What's driving the uneven recovery at the core of California cities, and how is that impacting housing and investment?

Sean Burton (Cityview) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) discussing the forces and fundamentals reshaping urban markets. The conversation moves from post-pandemic population shifts and the surge in AI-driven demand to the regulatory dynamics influencing Southern California development.

Highlights include:

• Why San Francisco may be turning a corner and whether an AI boom can sustain it.
• How concerns about regulatory risk have chilled investor sentiment in the City of Los Angeles.
• Where supply–demand imbalances are creating long-term opportunities.
• What San Diego got right to accelerate permitting and development.
• The latest progress in rebuilding after the LA County wildfires.

More: https://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives

California's recent wave of pro-housing legislation has opened the door for more development on single-family lots and urban infill sites, but how much progress have we really made?

Shane Phillips (UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to trace California's evolving policy landscape, from accessory dwelling units to long-overdue CEQA reform.

The conversation moves from the success of recent ADU regulations to the barriers slowing smaller-scale infill and condo development. Cost structures, ownership models, and building standards all shape housing supply. Phillips and Green discuss how policy could better balance affordability, density, and quality of life across Southern California.

Highlights include:

- Why recent ADU laws succeeded where earlier reforms fell short.
- Potential condo liability reforms to encourage smaller-scale housing ownership.
- How construction costs constrain "missing middle" infill.
- The trade-offs of eliminating single-room occupancy housing in US cities.
- How ownership models shape neighborhood attitudes and investment.

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UCLA Housing Voice Podcast

How are retailers adapting to a changing consumer base and evolving real estate needs?

Rachel Elias Wein (WeinPlus) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to explore what's next for retail. From data centers to neighborhood shopping centers, consumer behavior is driving change. The conversation spotlights how ownership models, store management, and customer habits are reshaping commercial property strategy.

Highlights include:

• Why some retailers sell off their real estate while others buy it back.
• How energy access impacts location strategy.
• What restaurants bring to retail destinations despite tenant turnover risks.
• The strong link between store-manager tenure and store profitability.
• Why omnichannel customers are the most valuable, and how real estate plays a role in retention.

More: https://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives

What do supply numbers tell us about LA County's housing crisis, and how can research guide next steps?

Jorge De la Roca (USC Price) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to discuss the findings of the 2025 State of Los Angeles County Housing (SOLACHAN) Report

At the center of their conversation is the modern city dilemma: while cities drive economic vitality, they also create steep costs of living. In LA County, permitting delays, demographic shifts, and a mismatch between incomes and supply add up to a housing market that's falling short.

Highlights include:

• Why building a multifamily project in LA takes nearly twice as long as the national average.
• Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are driving new supply, but may not translate to housing.
• The widening income split between renters.
• Demographic shifts show fewer families and declining Black residents in LA.
• Why the favored model of filtering can't take hold at current levels of housing production.

Explore the SOLACHAN Report

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What shaped Related California's approach to housing, and how has it adapted across market shifts?

William A. Witte and Gino A. Canori (Related California) join Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to reflect on more than three decades of development, from pioneering uses of tax-exempt bonds to navigating today's capital markets.

The conversation begins with policy and finance, including tax credits, bond cap programs, and the long-term value of rehab versus new construction, before moving to operations, the shifting geography of multifamily demand, and today's market reset.

Highlights include:

- How Related carved out a niche by combining market-rate housing with affordable units under the 80/20 program
- Post-COVID shifts in multifamily demand from urban cores to suburban, amenity-rich destinations.
- Underwriting is still absorbing the spike in insurance and labor costs while the new normal continues to emerge.
- Signs of recovery in San Francisco leasing and investment.
-The economics and operational tactics of managing mixed-income buildings.

More: http://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives

How can cities adapt to rising climate risks and shifting infrastructure needs?

Christopher Boone (Dean, USC Price School of Public Policy) joins Richard K. Green (Director, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to discuss how sustainability and resilience are reshaping housing, cities, and policy. From rebuilding after California wildfires to lessons from London's limited social housing, the wide-ranging conversation highlights the tradeoffs between affordability, risk, and durability facing communities across the US.

Highlights include:

• Why mentors are crucial to career development.
• The gap between data and difficult decisions to achieve sustainability goals.
  
• Fostering resilient communities by addressing jobs and health.
  
• Baltimore's unique reversal on neighborhoods exposed to toxic releases.
  
• How communities relocate and rebuild after natural disasters and the implications for the recent Los Angeles
• Eminent domain and the importance of community engagement.
  
• Lessons in sustainability from abroad for US policy.

More: http://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives

Selma Hepp (Cotality) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) to unpack the third year of low home sales as affordability and insurance reshape demand across the US.

From Florida's downturn to California's inventory bump, the conversation explores local shifts and their contributions to national trends. Hepp also shares how new climate risk tools could change pricing and property insurance in the future.

Highlights include:

- Why home sales today look worse than in the aftermath of the Great Recession
- What makes Austin's home value decline so unique
- Why the Midwest and New England lead the nation in home price growth
- How climate risk and insurance are impacting migration
- The growing role of small investors, especially in housing markets with constrained supply

More: http://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives

What's driving today's housing market shifts? How can economic principles help us navigate life and career choices?

Daryl Fairweather (Redfin) joins Richard K. Green (USC Lusk Center for Real Estate) and offers a glimpse at US housing markets before diving into insights from her new book *Hate the Game*. The conversation starts with Florida's drop in home price appreciation, California's middle-of-the-pack performance, and the Midwest's rise before turning to Fairweather's career journey from academia to tech.

Highlights include:

- Key factors in the Midwest and Rust Belt's turnaround
- How insurance costs and HOA fees are changing the condo market in Florida and beyond.
- What economic exams for PhDs tell us about the kind of talent they seek.
- How economic tools like backward induction can help leverage promotions.
- Why winning a home buying bid could be worse than losing.

More: http://lusk.usc.edu/perspectives