Research Initiatives

The Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center’s research falls into three categories: basic, applied and “thought leadership.” Basic research provides the foundation for applied research; applied research empirically analyzes specific real estate issues. “Thought leadership” research provides a conceptual framework for analysis of emerging issues.

Basic Research

Initiatives have included:

• An equity Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) database fully capable of supporting current and future research.
• An in-depth investigation of events at the intersection of e-commerce and real estate: the effect of web-based sales in crowding out sales at physical sites.
• Research into the commercial brokerage industry to determine the extent to which the web and e-commerce are changing this business model.

Applied Research

Initiatives have included:

• Research into real estate debt and equity markets: analysis of linkages between public and private real estate markets and the changing roles and behavior of institutional investors.
• Emphasis on international problems and opportunities in real estate.
• Collaboration with universities in England and in Germany to examine issues touching on common corporate real estate topics.
• Spheres of traditional strength: housing policy, urban policy, and real estate industry policy.

Thought Leadership

The Zell/Lurie Center supports seminal “thought leadership” research by Wharton’s world-class faculty, disseminates our findings in basic and applied research, and facilitates intellectual collaboration between industry, academia, and students.

The above initiatives are made possible through the support and encouragement of our Research Sponsors.