There are two ways to look at this part of history repeating itself: A desperate last hope to “save” shopping centers, or the beginning of a new era of retail. Both are true.The traditional mall format is ending, and while there is no saving of the past. There is a new future for shopping centers, it just looks completely different than anything we’ve seen, so it’s hard to imagine.

The office industry is feeling the effects of a new trend: non-traditional real estate spaces that are proving to be a major disruptor. These spaces offer several variants of niche-y uses: temporary meeting space, event spaces, and conference rooms that would otherwise have been leased or rented through a landlord.

The term smart city is becoming a bigger part of real estate lingo – but what is the meaning behind it? Moreover, how will smart cities make themselves felt in the current and future real estate markets? Let’s look at three ways in which the smart-city concept is set to resonate throughout the industry.

Things are looking good for the industrial real estate sector, which is hitting record lows in terms of nationwide vacancies as well as record net occupancy gains across the country. Let’s take a more detailed look at the current state of the market and its demand – and assess whether new construction can keep up with that demand. The five things you need to know are:

One might think that Generation Z, whose oldest members were born in the middle 1990s, would be enthusiastic users of online shopping.

Automation is a topic that has been in the forefront of everyone’s mind over the past year. People anxiously wait to see how the workforce will change as soon as robots and smart software become more prevalent in the occupational setting. Many people tend to think of automation as something that will disrupt industries that rely on manual labor while leaving skilled labor untouched – a notion that is false. Everyone from pharmacists, attorneys, and real estate agents will be impacted by automation in the coming years.

Unfortunately for a number of brick-and-mortar retail stores, better online shopping experiences are cutting into their profit margins. This has led small companies and big-box retailers alike to come up with creative ways to weather the e-commerce revolution.

In more recent times, the push to go green has been stronger than ever. Historically speaking, most European countries have been quite proactive when it comes to taking steps to cut back on energy expenditure – these days, even American cities are making the pledge to switch completely to renewable energy in the next 10 to 20 years.

If there’s one thing to be said about the office sector, it’s that the industry is constantly changing. If you’re the owner of an old building that’s dated and lacks a certain rustic charm, you might have problems attracting new tenants or struggle to keep your current ones on board. With the success of co-working office spaces over the last few years, office owners have had to come up with innovative ways to stay relevant in a changing market. For this reason, it's important to make sure that your property doesn't become outdated.

Last-mile delivery is the process of getting a product to its final destination. With e-commerce growing in popularity, more companies are focusing on same and next-day delivery. This means that the focus on last-mile distribution has become more important than ever as customers begin to expect more out of their online shopping experiences.

Prefab building, also known as modular construction, is a trend that’s expected to grow throughout 2017. They’re quicker to assemble and more cost effective than traditional buildings, and are built with the same quality.

The e-commerce boom has definitely changed the way that many Americans do their shopping. Instead of going to their local mall or shopping center, a lot of people prefer to order online instead. This, in turn, has caused a number of companies to change their business models in order to keep up with the demand of online shopping. Here are some ways how: