Retail Site Selection Criteria

The 15-minute city revisited: A GIS approach to measuring, visualizing, and analyzing accessibility by proximity and by public transport supply   In this new paper, I develop a comprehensive methodology and present the steps for measuring, visualizing, and analyzing x-minute accessibility by proximity (walking accessibility) and accessibility by public transport supply (accessibility potential created by nearby public transport services) using geographic information systems (GIS).   Five sequential steps are presented: (1) project definition, (2) data preparation, (3) measuring accessibility, (4) visualizing accessibility and insufficient accessibility, and (5) analyzing accessibility using spatial statistical analysis and modeling.   The methodology attempts to address previously discussed pitfalls of the 15-minute city (Mouratidis, 2024) and more specifically: 1. Limitations to strong decentralization: The methodology assesses proximity-based accessibility only to lower-order facilities, services, and places and not to specialized destinations such as specialized workplaces, specialized shops, specialized healthcare facilities, or higher education facilities. 2. Over-focusing on quantity instead of sufficiency: The methodology demonstrates ways to measure and visualize insufficient accessibility and lack of accessibility. 3. Improperly aggregating facilities into broad categories: The methodology keeps essential facilities separate and avoids improperly aggregating facilities into broad categories like healthcare, education, and recreation. 4. Disregarding public transport: The methodology integrates the assessment of accessibility potential realized through nearby public transport services into an x-minute accessibility framework. 5. Ignoring interpersonal differences in walking and cycling: The methodology focuses on walking to local destinations (e.g. shops, public transport stops) instead of cycling and sets a lower-than-average walking speed so that a larger part of the population is considered in accessibility analysis.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/dADsVNhZ

Buying Land in Maharashtra? Your Legal Due Diligence Checklist Whether you're a developer, investor, or homebuyer, purchasing land in Maharashtra involves more than a title check. Local laws, tribal protections, environmental clearances, and special authority regulations all play a crucial role. Here’s your broad legal checklist, tailored for land deals in Maharashtra: ✅ 1. Title & Ownership Verification • Verify 30–60 years of chain of title: sale deeds, partition, wills, court orders. • Check 7/12 Extract (Satbara Utara). • Confirm mutation records (Ferfar) for updated ownership. • Obtain a Search Report from a local advocate. • Check for mortgages or litigation history. 🗺️ 2. Zoning & Land Use • Check land zoning via Development Plan (DP) or Regional Plan (RP). • Land could be residential, commercial, industrial, CRZ, green zone, or forest. • Agricultural land can only be bought by agriculturists (Sec 63 of the Tenancy Act). • Obtain NA Order if change of land use is intended. 🧾 3. Revenue & Tax Compliance • Confirm payment of property tax, non-agricultural tax, and ensure no revenue dues. • Identify land classification: Occupant Class I or II, etc. • Check for tenancies, encroachments, and pending mutation. 📏 4. Land Ceiling & ULC Compliance • Confirm exemption or clearance under the repealed Urban Land Ceiling Act. • For rural holdings, check compliance under Maharashtra Agricultural Land Ceiling Act. ⚠️ 5. Reservation & Acquisition Risk • Check if the land is reserved in the DP (for roads, gardens, schools, etc.). • Verify if any acquisition notices or lapses exist under the MRTP Act. • Ensure it’s not falling under any infrastructure corridor or planning realignment. 🏛️ 6. Tribal & Scheduled Area Restrictions If the land is in a Scheduled Area, the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 applies. • Gram Sabha consent is mandatory. • Land belonging to Scheduled Tribes cannot be sold to non-tribals without permission. 🌿 7. Environmental & CRZ Compliance • For coastal, forest, or ecologically sensitive areas, check: • CRZ rules, Forest NOC, and Environmental Clearance. • If near national parks or hills, confirm with MoEFCC norms. 🧱 8. Special Authorities & Maharashtra-Specific Nuances • CIDCO, MIDC, MHADA, PMRDA plots need specific permissions and policies. • For MMRDA or airport zones, verify planning overlays and AAI clearances. • Industrial lands may need zoning confirmation, effluent NOC, and conversion approvals. Land Has a History—Read It Before You Own It: Due diligence in Maharashtra goes beyond paper—walk the land, speak to neighbors, visit the Talathi and cross-check maps. What appears clean on record may still hide informal possession disputes or issues. Following a checklist could save you years of litigation or loss. #MaharashtraLandLaw #LegalDueDiligence #TitleVerification #RealEstateLaw #LandAcquisition #PlanningCompliance #EnvironmentalClearance #PropertyLawIndia

As a huge public transit advocate, I'm thrilled to see the launch of Dubai's $10BN 42km Gold Line metro line, which expands the Dubai metro network by 35% by 2032. Running through 15 strategic areas, the line is designed to serve 1.5 million residents. It will also support transport demand from 55 large-scale real estate developments currently under construction. I have always said that the big opportunity in the middle east is to invest in more transit-oriented development with air-conditioned bridges to offices and residential towers around the metro stations, like Hong Kong and Singapore have done so well. Research has shown that office tenants and residents are willing to pay a premium for proximity to a metro station. Knight Frank MENA research shows that prices for apartments close to a station in Riyadh are, on average, SAR 96 psm (USD 25 psm) higher than for an equivalent apartment just 500 m further away. This means that for two otherwise identical 250 sqm apartments, the one located 500m closer to the metro station will, on average, be valued at SAR 24,000 (USD 6,400) more. Dubai Metro carried 294.7 million riders across its Red and Green lines in 2025, - a 7% increase over 2024. The Gold Line route will span from the heart of old Dubai in Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates and will be linked to the long-standing green and red lines and Etihad Rail, which is set to launch passenger services before the end of the year. A map setting out the expanded Dubai Metro network (in the comments) - as it will look in 2032 - shows the Gold Line cutting through large parts of the city, within reach of densely populated areas such as Al Barsha, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Arabian Ranches, Dubai Sports City, Dubai Motor City, MBR City and Business Bay. The Gold Line will be linked to Etihad Rail passenger train stations at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the construction of which was previously announced, and a future Etihad Rail Station in Meydan. I used to travel from Boston to New York and Washington door to door using public transit. We will hopefully be able to do that from Dubai to the other Emirates in the future.

A developer has just publicly said councils should never have allowed him to develop the land he bought. It’s an unusual statement! but a revealing one. The project progressed through approvals, only for the developer to later argue that the site was fundamentally unsuitable once future flood and climate-related constraints became clear. Those constraints weren’t abstract. They centred on flood exposure and the long-term viability of the site under changing conditions, with direct implications for development feasibility, cost, and risk ultimately borne by people who purchase the homes. This isn’t just a planning dispute. It’s a case study in how physical climate risk and land economics intersect (often only after a purchase decision has already been made). In both NZ and Australia, climate risk is now a consideration in how land and long-lived assets are disclosed. Under New Zealand’s Climate-related Disclosures regime and Australia’s mandatory climate reporting standards, organisations are required to: ➡️ Identify physical climate risks ➡️ Explain how those risks influence planning, valuation and investment decisions ➡️ Demonstrate consideration of risk over the full life of land and infrastructure assets What this means in practice: -Land that appears developable today may face limits tomorrow as flood risk, water availability and insurance settings evolve - Due diligence needs to be spatial, forward-looking and defensible - not just legal, and not just based on historic 1-in-100-year flood maps! For investors, developers, architects and property owners, cases like this underline the value of testing land suitability before capital is committed. Land decisions last decades. The Lever Room

𝗜𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲 #𝟮 – 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁! So here we are, reaching August 1st when the new land law comes into effect. In the last issue, we discussed instances where a Vietnam-incorporated company is considered an FIE for the purposes of land law (and real estate law). This issue will briefly discuss how FIEs can access land and real estate in Vietnam. FIEs' right to access land is generally more restricted than that of local companies. The guiding principle for foreign investors is that they can acquire land 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 (whether it is a resi or commercial project). Therefore, accumulating land banks or flipping land for profits is not an option for foreign investors to access land through their FIEs. So, here is how FIEs may get land in Vietnam: 1. Acquiring land slots in industrial parks or high-tech parks. 2. Participating in auctions of land for project developments. Commercial or residential land slots tendered for auction generally come with approved 1/500 that requires the bid winner to develop a prescribed project on such land. 3. Participating in bidding for investor selection with respect to (a) the development of a complex urban area, or (b) the development of a project whose developer is required to be selected through bidding (such as a power project). 4. Acquiring equity in a local company that holds land. 5. Acquiring a real estate project under development. Similarly to the right to access land, FIEs’ right to access real estate is also generally more restricted. A prominent example is that FIEs may not purchase already-built construction work for exploitation. That is, an FIE may not simply purchase an already-built office building for leasing business but must invest in developing such a building in the first place. #landlaw #Vietnam #realestate

There is one thing that many industrial tenants overlook when leasing space: 🚍 proximity to public transportation 🚍 Why is it overlooked and why is it important? Chances are that most of the owners or company leadership all drive. And likely most of the staff. So it's common to factor in how far everyone has to drive (some companies map out where everyone lives and calculate drive times). But the employees who rely on public transportation often get overlooked and this can be a big mistake. It's not just the existing staff that are impacted, but it also influences the ability to recruit additional workers. Or stated another way, good access to public transportation is not just a strong retention tool, it also opens up a larger talent pool. In fact, this is one of the single biggest benefits of being in an urban center vs a rural area (or perhaps even a remote industrial park). Now to be clear I'm not suggesting that access to public transportation should take priority over other factors. It's simply prudent to identify it as part of the overall decision matrix. Companies will make the best decisions when they have all the information available.

Dubai: A long-standing grey area—where developers or stakeholders quietly changed common areas, removed amenities, or converted shared spaces into private ones—is no longer up for interpretation. Under Circular RERASC 25C16, any changes to common areas or facilities will now require regulatory approval. This is an excellent move that reinforces fairness, transparency, and owner rights. “It is strictly prohibited to dispose of, exploit, alter, redesign, or eliminate common facilities in any way that limits their use by the owners, unless prior approval has been obtained from the Department and the relevant authority.” For existing properties, the circular mandates that where engineering plans have not yet been formally registered by the developer, the management company must coordinate with relevant authorities to start this process within 90 days. No stakeholder—including the Developer, Management Company or Owners Committee—has the autonomous right to amend, remove, or repurpose common areas or facilities in a manner that affects the rights of usage of any owner or tenant. This includes: - Closing off access to facilities such as gyms, pools, or children’s play areas; Converting common rooms into management offices or storage spaces; -Reconfiguring parking allocations or recreational zones; Altering floorplans to serve a subset of units at the expense of others. Even well-intentioned changes—such as introducing new amenities or improving underutilized spaces—must be evaluated under the lens of lawful usage, design registration, and regulatory approval. The rationale behind these restrictions is simple: owners have purchased their units with legitimate expectations based on what was shown in approved plans and sales agreements. Any changes that interfere with their quiet enjoyment or contracted access rights can lead to disputes, potential legal challenges, and penalties for the developer or management. This principle protects not just owners, but also tenants who rely on published community features when making rental decisions. Any diminishment—whether physical, functional, or practical—can be construed as an impairment of value. What should management companies do? Audit Existing Use: Validate that all common areas are used as per registered plans. If not, initiate corrective or regularization procedures. Avoid Ambiguity: Do not entertain informal requests for changes to communal facilities, even if seemingly minor. Educate Stakeholders: Communicate the regulatory obligations to developers, owners' committees, owners and tenants to manage expectations and avoid conflict. Document Everything: Keep a full record of decisions, votes, correspondence, and submissions to RERA when proposing any amendments. As Dubai’s property sector continues to mature, adherence to these frameworks is not just a legal requirement—it is a sign of governance maturity and market integrity. #Realesate #Dubai #CommunitManagement

This zoning cheat code almost vanished. One wrong decision would have erased it forever. Here’s how it was saved. Setup: Recently, we worked with an investor bought a boarded-up house from 1928. Abandoned. Windows gone. Stone-and-mortar foundation failing. On a large city lot, the obvious play was a teardown. But the house had character. Instead of demo, she chose a full gut rehab. Down to the studs. Everything new. Investigation: As the rehab wrapped up, she asked a smart question: “What else can this property legally become?” We ran full due diligence. Step 1: Zoning review The parcel showed C-2 Commercial zoning. Odd for a property surrounded by homes. Step 2: Zoning history The city amended the C-2 zone in August 2008. Step 3: The buried footnote Single-family dwellings that pre-date the 2008 amendment retain their residential use rights. The Twist: That old house was the zoning cheat code. If she had demolished it, the residential use right would have vanished with the dust. Commercial zoning here prohibits new single-family homes. Teardown equals deal killer. Impact: Because the house stayed: • Residential use rights were preserved • ADU rights were preserved • Multi-unit residential development became possible • Commercial standards applied where advantageous Here’s the multiplier most people miss. Under C-2 zoning: • No residential lot coverage limits • No residential setback standards That combination unlocked detached multi-unit density with no setback restrictions. The rehab didn’t just protect the investment. It dramatically increased its ceiling. Lesson: Zoning is not just what’s allowed today. It’s what history quietly protects. Miss the footnotes, and you bulldoze the profit. Thorough land due diligence doesn’t just apply to vacant lots. All land hides secrets, even properties with houses already on them. That’s exactly what we help uncover. If this story resonated, feel free to explore my profile to learn how SiteFacts helps investors and OYL builders avoid costly surprises before they become irreversible.

When buying property in LA, here are some common land use traps: 1) Q conditions - buried in old ordinances - can restrict density - may limit height - could mandate specific uses - often missed in prelim reports 2) Expired entitlements - previous approvals with unfulfilled conditions - lapsed vesting periods - incomplete covenant recordings - unfinished dedications 3) Overlay zone surprises - historice preservation zones - specific plans - CDO requirements - CPIO requirements 4) Protected trees - Not just street trees - protected species on site - canopy overlap from neighbor - Roots impact 5) previous case conditions that stick - run with the land forever - may limit future development - can mandate specific uses 6) Common costly misses - dedication requirements - highway alignment impacts - utility issues/easements - fire access requirements 7) Real world impact - 6+ months added to timeline - massive redesign costs - reduced project potential - blown acquisition costs - angry investors Bottom line: thorough due diligence isn't expensive - it's priceless

The proximity to transit is a significant, measurable factor driving real estate premiums in Riyadh, reflecting global trends. Research from Knight Frank shows that for residential properties in Riyadh, every 100-meter increase in distance from the nearest metro station leads to a SAR 19 reduction in value per square meter. To maximize the metro's impact, it is crucial to implement transit-oriented development (TOD) and ensure robust last-mile connectivity. These strategies are essential for reinforcing real estate value growth and advancing Riyadh's goal of becoming a more sustainable, globally competitive capital city.