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Lusk Perspectives

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Real Conversations, Real Estate

During a time of great uncertainty and rapid change, connection and information is a more important resource than ever before. Today's issues could be amplified or altered in a matter of days or hours, so it is vital that organizations and thought leaders frequently share knowledge, dispel rumors, and offer insight.

Hosted by Professor and Lusk Center Director Richard K. Green, Lusk Perspectives offers timely analysis and shares accurate data vetted by leading experts on the latest developments and observations concerning policy, real estate, urban economics and more.

Once interviews are conducted, resources and videos will be made available here and on podcast channels as soon as possible.

 

Latest Perspectives

Casden Spring 2021 Multifamily Forecast Report

May 20, 2021
Richard K. Green
Richard K. Green | Director, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Tony M. Salazar
Tony M. Salazar | President, West Coast Division, McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc
Paul M. Keller
Paul M. Keller | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mack Urban

Richard K. Green delivers new data from the Casden Spring 2021 Multifamily Forecast Report. Despite outmigration, California housing prices are still climbing, indicating that the state remains a desirable destination for many. However, California's lack of multifamily housing production remains concerning as sunbelt states with more robust construction pipelines like Texas, Arizona, and Nevada continue to siphon off California residents. Green also asserts that Southern California submarkets will largely be influenced not by whether workers return to the office, but by how often.

Panelists Paul M. Keller (Mack Urban) and Tony M. Salazar (McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc.) echo the data with anecdotal evidence from inside the industry. Salazar points out that affordable housing subsidies are offered as a flat rate across the US, and as a result those funds continue to go further in markets where housing production is less expensive. Keller remains skeptical about how the state may change and expects more of the same challenges in the future. 

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Living With COVID

May 19, 2021
Neha Nanda, MD
Neha Nanda, MD | Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship, Keck Medicine of USC
Scott B. Laurie
Scott B. Laurie | President and Chief Executive Officer, The Olson Company

Neha Nanda, MD is joined by Scott B. Laurie and Richard K. Green to discuss the ongoing recovery efforts from COVID-19, how organizations might manage returning to the office, and when everyday life has a chance of achieving a new normal. Nanda also reviews rules of thumb for mask-wearing as well as what vaccine hesitancy may mean for California's herd immunity.

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The Biggest And Smallest Barriers To California Housing Development

May 6, 2021
Evgeny Burinskiy
Evgeny Burinskiy | Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Development, USC Price School of Public Policy
Lois M. Takahashi
Lois M. Takahashi | Houston Flournoy Professor of State Government and Director, USC Price in Sacramento
Bert Selva
Bert Selva | President and Chief Executive Officer, Shea Homes
Dan Dunmoyer
Dan Dunmoyer | President and Chief Executive Officer, California Building Industry Association

The State of California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) estimated that 70,000-110,000 new housing units are needed per year to keep housing prices from rising faster than the national average. What are the most important barriers to new housing construction and what can be done about them? 

Scholars Evgeny Burinskiy, Lois Takahashi, and Richard Green gather with industry experts Bert Selva and Dan Dunmoyer to discuss results from a new survey of California homebuilders, planning commissioners, and housing advocates. The survey, supported by a grant from the California Homebuilding Foundation, highlights the differences in perceptions stakeholders have about the development review process. Overall, each stakeholder group universally sees both traffic congestion and affordable housing as a crucial hurdle to overcome as California grows.

View Survey Report

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A Sea Change in Economic Policy

May 4, 2021
Claudia Sahm
Claudia Sahm | Senior Fellow, Jain Family Institute

Claudia Sahm joins Richard K. Green to outline the changes in economic policy as the Federal Reserve and Congress have reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sahm, who was inside the Federal Reserve during the Great Recession and recovery, has since devised the Sahm Rule Recession Indicator to help policymakers and economists determine the start of a recession based on unemployment rates.

Sahm points out that economic policy has new goals, new tools are being considered, and change will come with growing pains. As for new goals, Sahm sees interest in concepts like full employment, reducing inequality, and acknowledging racism as harbingers of a new school of thought, and one that is less skittish about inflation as the Fed works to build momentum in economic downturns. The new tools and approaches like the child benefit cash transfers in the latest stimulus package display a shift towards providing direct aid, rather than commonly used tax incentives or other targeted programs. Sahm also acknowledges that change means pain while data catches up to policy for the simple reason that some benefits or programs have never before been attempted in the US.

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The Case for Medicare to Cover Home Safety Renovations

April 1, 2021
Richard K. Green
Richard K. Green | Director, USC Lusk Center for Real Estate
Patricia F. Harris
Patricia F. Harris, MD | Geriatric Medicine Specialist, UCLA Health
Anthony W. Orlando
Anthony W. Orlando | Assistant Professor in the Finance, Real Estate, & Law Department, California State Polytechnic University

Originally recorded for “The Bigger Picture” podcast by the USC Bedrosian Center with host Oliva Olson.

Falling is the number one cause of injury and the seventh leading cause of death in adults ages 65 and older. In the newly published “Breaking Down Silos to Improve the Health of Older Adults,” Richard Green, Patricia Harris, and Anthony Orlando make the case for Medicare coverage of home safety renovations to minimize injurious falls. Olivia Olson speaks with the authors about their recent paper and the changes they hope to see in Medicare coverage.

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