How Real Estate Developers Think: Design, Profits, and Community (The City in the Twenty-First Century) Hardcover – May 5, 2015

As a principal in an architecture firm I have pondered the ways of developers for years. Our firm owns several books on real estate development, we subscribe to the magazines that our developer clients subscribe to, but still developers remain a mystery. Sometimes their motivations are crystal clear – we want more square feet of building on this piece of land – but other times their decision making is obscure. Are they from a different planet in which every decision can be run through a risk/reward calculator? But Peter Brown’s book helps to elucidate the method behind the madness. He explained that that developer are charged with building our cities and suburbs and what constraints they operate under – more than one might imagine.It is important to note that this is an enjoyable book to read, although apparently the author has a background in academics, this book is a series of highly entertaining stories from the development world woven together with analysis, perspective and context. Having read several books on development and biographies of developers, this book is a breakthrough in its readability and accessibility. I recommend it highly for anyone interested in learning more about real estate development.

This was by far one of the most helpful resources I've come across. It's not just another dry RE textbook or huckster "practical guide" to understanding the real estate development process, this book strikes much more to the core of what I needed to know... that is, how many of the top developers really "think" about their projects, deals, finance structuring, relationships, sales and the use of art, recognizing where you are in a cycle, etc. Gaining access to their perspectives is invaluable for anyone in the RE business, new to the business, communities dealing with development, and product/service businesses seeking to gain better leverage/opportunities working with developers and landlords. This is a true gem worth exponentially more than it's price~ I feel grateful that this has escalated my personal development as serial entrepreneur and new builder... I only wish there were more like it.

A must read for all city planners and zoning/planning board members/commissioners, for architects trying to understand their developer client's better, neighborhood leaders seeking to influence developers building in their community, and even for budding developers seeking to understand the shoes they are stepping into.

The author includes many stories of actual developers that went through successes and failures. This is incredibly helpful for someone trying to "get into" development, but I think the book was written so that community members get a better understanding of what development is all about. The main premise of the book is that the author strives for a better understanding of who developers are, and what they go through, so that during public meetings, conversations can be more productive. For example, a community member might not like a type of siding material or an overall building design, but they don't understand the economic factors that goes into the decisions the architect and developer made. If community members understand how they can influence a development (instead of being picky about things they have no control over), a more successful development can be made for everyone.

Truly a fantastic book. From novice to expert, this book helps to shed light on so many aspects of the development game. Once I read it, I was able to make sense of a number of issues that had perplexed me in the past because I was able to see certain scenarios through the eyes of other players (Financiers to architects). Once you understand that you don't know what you don't know, you can ask better questions throughout the process to be able to understand all of the pieces. This book doesn't solve the headaches of development, but helps to make them more palatable and should be on the shelf of everyone who plays a role in development.

Many who write about real estate development fail to capture what it’s really like - the personal struggles, team squabbles and community pressures - to develop a project from visioning and strategy to entitlement and finally completion, but Peter Brown does this thoughtfully and accurately.Some sections seemed to come straight out of internal project meetings I’ve attended. In my 20 year development career, it’s the best book I’ve read on the subject. Giving copies to my team. Thanks for writing a book that’s a great read for rookies and veterans alike!

For what appears to be a book for an academic audience, Brown writes in a remarkably engaging style and illustrates his rigorously substantiated points with well-crafted narratives. I teach Micro-Economics at a very competitive boarding school and am considering using sections of this book as supplemental text to breathe some life into the more technical portions of our curriculum (e.g. costs of production and the nebulous idea of "normal profit") and as a framework for one or more of our case studies. Indeed, Brown's work is one of those rare books whose ideas will stand up to the scrutiny of the academy, a sophisticated business audience and policy makers while remaining accessible to a smart young cohort of future leaders.

Good book! I just wish the author would have gone beyond highlighting developers in the Cities of Portland, Chicago and Miami. Maybe the next edition will include Phoenix, Dallas, Denver, Austin as well as some smaller US communities. Well worth buying and reading!