Commercial Real Estate in a Flat World

This research examined the 10 "flatteners" advanced by Thomas Friedman in his book, "The World Is Flat," and compared his conclusions with published statistical forecasts . The report identified valid trends and implications for owners and developers of industrial, office and mixed-use properties. The research also examined how the projected adoption of six rapidly maturing applications of the World Wide Web - infomating, outsourcing, home-basing, off-shoring/in-shoring, e-learning and e-tailing - can be expected to impact the staffing and facilities (and ultimately, the demand for space) of five major classes of enterprise in the five sustainable markets (as identified in earlier research completed for the NAIOP Foundation): retail trade; professional, scientific and technical services; employment services; finance, insurance and banking; and transportation and warehousing.