2019 – the year that was
By: J. David Chapman/January 2, 2020
So, here we are the first weekend of 2020. At the end of the year I always take a look back at the year in preparation for the new year. This column publishes every Friday, so I normally write about 52 articles a year for Lot Lines. I like it and I appreciate you reading my musings. Looking back for me is the best way to know what I was thinking about because I write about what concerns and interests me. Over the years I have also used this column to educate on key real estate issues in our community.
The first half of 2019 was very interesting for me because I was restricted from writing my column as I was running for Edmond City Council. Fortunately, Bert Belanger did a fantastic job of penning his deep knowledge of real estate investment, law, brokerage, and development into interesting and entertaining commentary for Lot Lines. Thank you, Bert, for that and everything you do for our community and me. In April, I became the Ward 1 city councilman for Edmond.
Once back, spurred by the destruction of 850-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, I wrote about the value of the built environment and the contribution that such iconic buildings make to society. Next, I contemplated how today’s city planners and municipalities are embracing mixed-use development as a possible solution for society’s dependence on automobiles, a possible answer to residential affordability problems, increasing sense of community, and a solution for traffic congestion.
In the second half of 2019, I wrote about the shrinking square footage of buildings in nearly every category of real estate in the U.S. In one of the most popular articles of the year I wrote about loneliness in the U.S. and how developers are solving the issue with new types of communities. I spoke to the importance of coffee shops to community and how I lost my go-to morning coffee shop. Pocket neighborhoods, public transportation and the importance of scooters, suburban rebirth, property rights, and the most controversial column I wrote all year was about food deserts.
It was a great year and I appreciate you reading and commenting on my topics and articles. Bring on 2020 and a great new year of real estate.
J. David Chapman is an associate professor of finance and real estate at the University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).