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