Herb Hauser, PhD,
President
Midtown Technologies, LLC

One of the sure-fire ways to create change is to start where you live. Or work. Today, no one is taking that to heart more than the developers and builders in the real estate industry. These professionals are using broadband applications in breathtakingly innovative ways to help people work more productively and live more enjoyably, safely and longer while conserving our limited natural resources.

Frankly, the buildings these developers create with broadband technologies aren’t just smart; they’re genius. So much so, that the inclusion of technology in a development project is a given; there simply isn’t a project underway that does not give thought to the role of broadband in its construction.

I see such a seamless integration of broadband into the building of our work and living places that it is safe to say that technology is more than a given. Much in the way that a builder wouldn’t dream of constructing a home without electricity, water and phone, so is today’s development incomplete without the inclusion of essential technology for today’s genius building.

Of course, the consideration of broadband as a necessity doesn’t in any way relegate technology to a  €˜basic’ application within any real estate project. A “good enough” approach wouldn’t account for the rise of incredibly smart developments that anticipate their resident and tenants’ needs. Projects are under way throughout the nation that are using broadband to reduce poverty by fighting the “digital divide,” helping seniors stay active and independent in their homes for as long as possible, generating needed energy and — because what’s world without play? — creating luxury, convenience and ease.

While I could write reams sharing the innovative use of broadband at various projects (and will share more with you in future postings), I’d like to first share an encouraging note on the smart use of technology to empower one of the U.S.’s most significant socioeconomic forces: Boomers. With an American citizen hitting retirement age almost every 60 seconds, the issue of quality of life and care of our nation’s seniors is a pressing one.

My team has worked with developers to create a technology “safety net” that will allow a boomer’s home to adapt to their needs as they age. This concept, which we like to refer to as “Forward Living”, will help seniors enjoy their golden years, continue to be active, and give family, friends and caregivers peace of mind. Forward Living can be as simple as installing adaptive lighting that meets the needs of aging eyes, to the creation of sophisticated sensor systems that monitor movement and sound an alert when there is change in patterns of activity. Many of these features are available today — and many organizations are working on technology that will provide even greater benefits in the near future.

Forward Living is a trademarked phrase of Midtown Technology LLC, denoting the concept of dynamic, healthful and active senior living within one’s home, aided by technologies that adapt to the needs of the aging individual over a period that may span as much as 30 years. .

At the end of the day, broadband can help make our buildings part of HOW we live and work — and that is the genius behind the intersection of real estate and technology.

Herb Hauser, PhD, is president of Midtown Technologies, LLC, an authority on the deployment of technology as an asset for the real estate development industry.

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