Development isn’t on hiatus everywhere. Some areas have weathered the Great Recession better than others. In the suburbs of Waltham, Massachusetts, a two-building, Class A office complex at 175-185 Wyman Street was a recent addition to the office and technology-based area.

The national economy is now in the early stages of recovery from its longest and deepest recession since World War II. Now known as the Great Recession, the 2008-2009 recession started in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. During that period, from peak to trough, the economy declined by a total of 4.1 percent.

Despite some residual turbulence, there are signs of a shift in thinking about commercial development, especially urban infill projects, and it’s one that Developing Leaders can help shape and advance.

Sometimes you just have to forge ahead to stay competitive, difficult economy or not. M. David Properties, a family owned commercial real estate firm, develops, owns and exclusively manages their own industrial properties with the intention of retaining them.

Medical services are striving to become more customer-friendly, efficient and cost effective, not only in recognition of the coming wave of aging Baby Boomers, but also in response to major healthcare cost and operational challenges. Healthcare providers are also driven by the imperative to maintain and build branding and market share in a highly competitive environment.

When Hamilton Partners set out to build 222 Main they had no intention of making the 459,000-square-foot high-rise office tower a LEED-certified design. They wanted the building to qualify for LEED by installing the needed green compo¬nents, but the cost of certification was prohibitive, until a financial partner convinced them otherwise.

Opening a restaurant is a challenging business. Some estimates put the first-year failure rate at 50 percent or more. If you think you have a promising site at your existing retail center or are considering restaurants at a yet-to-be-built complex, heed the words of Jo-El Quinlan, vice president of real estate for Darden Real Estate.

Smart metering has become a genuine buzzword over the last few years with deployment making significant headway in key states such as Calif., Texas and Fla. Strategies for cost savings are available regardless of building size and budget.

The 578,000-square-foot TIAA-CREF head¬quarters building, located at 730 Third Av¬enue in midtown Manhattan, uses a combi¬nation of high-efficiency electric chilled water systems and a rooftop thermal storage system to save energy and operating costs.

As the healthcare reform bill advances toward implementation, many hospitals and doctor groups remain reluctant to execute long-term real estate decisions. The delivery process of healthcare services is shifting. Real estate development efforts within the healthcare market will need to better align with current trends.