Since its inception in 1983, MIT/CRE has focused on how the built environment gets produced and changed. Today, its faculty and researchers are fully engaged in exploring how the fundamental nature of the real estate industry — location-based and capital-intensive — is critical to both mitigation and adaptation efforts.
As a partner, Climate Alpha contributes its resources and expertise to our shared mission to seek positive lasting change by bringing new knowledge, talented personnel, and innovative approaches to real estate worldwide. In that role, we are also proud to join MIT/CRE’s global network of researchers and industry leaders sharing their ideas and experience to quickly scale best practices such as climate risk modeling and pricing.
At an inaugural symposium held at MIT in December 2022, Climate Alpha’s chief scientific and commercial officer Dr. Michael Ferrari joined more than a dozen scholars presenting papers on the intersection of real estate and sustainability, which will form the basis of a special issue on climate change and real estate in the Journal of Regional Science. A “fireside chat” connected scholars and industry leaders in practical conversations about how to use research to aid practitioners.
“The event brought together a broad spectrum of participants with a variety of interests spanning property management and policy to data and infrastructure,” Dr. Ferrari said. “The common thread through all of the talks and sessions centered around creating value for property owners, asset managers and communities in a sustainable and resilient manner. The applied nature of the discussions certainly differentiated this event from many other academic conferences, which traditionally tend to lead to less practical outcomes.”
“Measuring the current and potential impact of climate change is crucial to accelerating adaptation, which Climate Alpha is dedicated to achieving. We’re excited to be a part of this vibrant and collaborative cohort of participants.”
ABOUT MIT CENTER FOR REAL ESTATE
The MIT Center for Real Estate (MIT/CRE) was founded in 1983 by MIT alumnus, Charles “Hank” Spaulding CE ’51. A prominent real estate developer himself, Spaulding had the vision to improve the quality of the built environment and to promote a more informed professional practice in the global real estate industry.
