The NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Conference on Sustainable Real Estate Returns on March 5

This Year’s Event Explores the Pivotal Role of Real Estate in Advancing Sustainability with Leading Experts from Across NYU and Industry Visionaries

New York, February 12, 2025 —Real estate is more than just buildings and land—it's a powerful catalyst for global sustainability transformation. On March 5, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Schack Institute for Real Estate hosts the return of its Conference on Sustainable Real Estate at the NYU Kimmel Center for University Life.

"Real estate stands at the forefront of our fight against climate change. The decisions we make today in development, operations, and leadership will shape our planet's future," said Marc Norman, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair, associate dean at the NYU SPS Schack Institute, and conference co-host. "The NYU SPS Schack Conference on Sustainable Real Estate convenes top minds from across NYU and the industry to collaborate on practical and actionable solutions that drive real change in the built environment. "

"Sustainability extends far beyond just energy, yet current discussions in media, policy, and industry disproportionately focus on just that single sector," said Suhail Y. Tayeb, clinical assistant professor at the NYU SPS Schack Institute and conference co-host and chair. "True sustainability demands a broader perspective—one that encompasses materials, water, transportation, site development, governance, resilience, and social impact."

"This conference challenges that narrow focus. Our panels take a holistic approach, ensuring that every critical aspect of sustainability is explored in depth. By creating a platform for real collaboration, we are empowering industry leaders and academics to drive smarter, more impactful decisions for the future of real estate," added Tayeb.

Focused on three tracks—Climate Action, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Leadership—the conference will share transformative strategies to address critical issues at the intersection of sustainability and the built environment. Sessions include:

• Renewable Energy Innovations and Breakthroughs
• Finance for Social Impact: Green Solutions for Equity and Development
• Real Estate Innovation: AI, PropTech, and Sustainability Disruptors
• Rethinking Water: Innovations in Management, Recycling, and Resilience for NY Real Estate
• Affordable Housing: Balancing Equity, Sustainability, and Development
• Profits with Purpose: Executive Pay and Sustainability
• From Waste to Worth: Transforming Materials for a Sustainable Future in Real Estate
• Privacy and Data Security: Safeguarding Communities and Digital Infrastructure
• The Sustainability Compass: Navigating Accountability and Meaningful Impact
• Smart Land Use: Sustainable Strategies for Greenfield and Brownfield Developments
• Building Healthy Communities: Access to Healthcare and Designing for Wellness
• Building Trust in High Stakes Markets
• The Future of Urban Mobility
• Human Capital Development: Elevating Workforce Standards in Real Estate
• Resilient Real Estate: Climate Adaptation, Risk, and Governance

In addition to Norman and Tayeb, the conference committee includes co-chairs Amy Myers-Jaffe, adjunct assistant professor and director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs, and Lauren Brust Moss, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at Vornado Realty Trust.

Speaker and panelist affiliations include:

• NYU SPS Schack Institute
• NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs
• NYU SPS Division of Programs in Business
• NYU Law
• NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
• NYU Steinhardt
• NYU Stern
• NYU Tandon
• NYU Tisch School of the Arts
• NYU School of Global Public Health
• NYU Wagner
• NYU Office of Sustainability
• ActiveScore
• Adaptis.ai
• AKA
• Avalon Bay
• Brookfield Properties
• bxp
• Consigli
• Corgan
• Deloitte
• Empire State Realty Trust
• EY
• Food Print Group
• FSG
• Gensler
• GRESB
• Invesco
• JB&B
• Her Workplace
• Hines
• International WELL Building Institute
• L+M Development Partners
• Measurabl
• NAREIT
• National Grid
• Nell 3D
• North Bridge
• NYC Department of Environmental Protection
• NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development
• NYC Economic Development Corporation
• NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice
• NY Green Bank
• NYSERDA
• RXR Realty
• Steve Winters Equity
• The Durst Organization
• The Hudson Companies
• The Real Estate Roundtable
• Titanium Intelligent Solutions
• Turner Construction
• Two Trees
• USGBC
• VHB
• Vornado
• Wells Fargo

Additional Conference Information
Register for the  8th Annual Conference on Sustainable Real Estate and view the latest conference agenda and session details. If you are a media member who would like to report on the event, please contact Michael DeMeo at michael.demeo@nyu.edu.

Proceeds from the event will be directly allocated to supporting future sustainability-focused conferences, publications, and related initiatives within the Schack Institute of Real Estate.

About the NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate
The NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate was founded in 1967 by prominent New York City real estate community members, who encouraged NYU to establish an academic center that would provide a world-class education for industry professionals. More than 50 years later, the Schack Institute is at the forefront of real estate education, recognized globally as one of the world’s leading centers of real estate research and practical, real-world learning experiences.

The Institute’s graduate degree programs—notably, the MS in Real Estate and the MS in Real Estate Development, and a rapidly expanding BS in Real Estate—have grown enrollment to more than 1,000 full—and part-time students from across the United States and nearly 50 countries. In addition to its flagship degree programs, thousands of working professionals enroll each year in the Schack Institute’s Executive Education, certificate, and career advancement programs.

An anchor of real estate academia’s engagement with industry, the Institute is home to the CREFC Center for Real Estate Finance, the REIT Center, the Center for the Sustainable Built Environment, and the NYU Urban Lab. In addition, the Institute hosts national industry events, including annual conferences on real estate capital markets, the REIT sector, and Women in Real Estate. Under the direction of the Schack Institute’s faculty, ongoing applied research at the Institute spans an exceptional range of issues in real estate development and investment, urban economics, and market structure and regulation. To learn more about the NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate, visit sps.nyu.edu/schack.

About the NYU School of Professional Studies
Established in 1934, NYU SPS is an internationally recognized university that offers diverse students access and opportunity to practical, real-world preparation to thrive in their careers while building the next generation of industry leaders ready to embrace tomorrow’s innovations and challenges and lead change in global workplaces.

The NYU SPS global community consists of industry professionals, doers, and trailblazers who are shaping the future of industries. This positions the School as an idea incubator for various fields, including real estate, hospitality, global affairs, sports business, integrated marketing, HR, professional writing, and more.

Today, NYU SPS offers one of the most diverse portfolios of educational offerings at NYU, including graduate degrees, bachelor’s degrees for traditional and degree completion students, associate degrees, continuing education courses, and certificate programs.

NYU SPS hosts some of the largest and most in-demand industry conferences in the world, including the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; the Jonathan M. Tisch Center’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference; the Annual NYU Tax Conferences; and the NYU Coaching and Technology Summit. The School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders are a distinguishing factor in the education it provides.