J. David Chapman

In April of 2015, I presented a paper on the built environment at the American Real Estate Society national conference at Sanibel Harbour, FL. At that meeting, I met fellow presenter and researcher Dr. David McIlhatton from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was the Director of a counter-terrorism research group at Coventry University. We immediately found a common interest in protecting people and places from those trying to cause harm.

The preservation of historic buildings often involves substantial government investment, and this can be a point of contention. While the exact amount varies based on the country, state, or local government involved, there are some general trends and notable examples that illustrate the scale and controversy of such spending. One specific Oklahoma city provided incentives to businesses that, if successful, would have saved a historic building and provided much needed economic development to the community.

The recent controversy surrounding Jason Aldean's song "Try That in a Small Town" has been significant and multifaceted, drawing both praise and criticism.

On October 16th, at the 2024 Commercial Real Estate Summit, hosted by the UCO Real Estate Program, PIVOT Awards will be presented to real estate professionals who have made the most pivotal advances in our industry.

On the night of May 10, 1941, with one of the last bombs of the last serious raid, the British House of Commons was destroyed by the enemy, and leadership had to consider whether to rebuild. Winston Churchill was the British Prime Minister at the time. One of my favorite attractions in London is the Churchill War Rooms and Museum where his decisions are detailed in the very place he sheltered with his leadership team.

On Friday, October 25 the UCO Real Estate Program will host a symposium from 2 to 4pm called “Innovations in Construction” on the UCO campus. While this seminar will likely be highly technical in nature, real estate is not always technical, and sometimes we consider emotions and feelings. Last week I wrote about neuro-architecture asking if buildings could alter a human's mood. Today, I want to consider the term “beautiful” in relations to the built environment and buildings.

I just returned from Chicago, where I attended the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) Annual Conference. ARELLO brings together real estate regulatory bodies from across North America to exchange information, trends, and education in each jurisdiction. The final day of the annual conference is ARELLO's annual Commissioner College. Commissioner College is an educational program designed to prepare new Real Estate Commissioners for the unique role as regulatory decision-makers protecting the public interests in real estate matters.

As I write this week’s column, I am sitting in a warehouse on Fretz Ave in downtown Edmond supervising the sale of entire households of furniture, appliances, rugs, décor, art, dishes, utensils, fixtures, linens, and other necessities one finds in a typical short-term rental (STR).

One of the topics of the Innovation in Construction Symposium this year was insulated concrete form buildings.

Oklahoma's housing future will take center stage this winter as a series of six Regional Housing Forums are scheduled across the state from November 2024 through February 2025. These forums will provide essential insights into the 2024 Oklahoma Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, a key report that will influence housing policy and development for years to come.