Nicolas Merle

Miami, FL

Development Manager, City of Buenos Aires

Senior Investment & Development Analyst, Metro1/Future of Cities

Real estate development is only learned from bold venturers and experienced industry professionals. As an architect with a finance background, I realized that I still had a long way to go and needed a different approach to develop my career in the real estate market. The MRED+D gave me a holistic vision, language and education to think as a designer, developer and finance professional.

I believe in triple bottom-line projects, where real estate projects can be developed involving communities and respecting the environment, without undermining investor’s profits. UC Berkeley has a long tradition of caring about what matters most–people–and I wanted to be part of that tradition.

It is hard to choose only one, but in my daily job I have realized that many of my tasks and duties are part of assignments made for Cal Inman’s (Professional Practice of Real Estate Development) and Chris Calott’s classes (Integrated Development, Architecture + Urbanism; Preparing for Practice; and the Capstone Project).

The ULI Fall Meeting in Washington, D.C. The entire cohort attended, and it was one of the first steps in a long lasting friendship. [MRED+D sponsors this annual cohort trip.]

I am working in a real estate fund whose vision is to think and re-invent the cities of tomorrow. The MRED+D allowed me to be in a unique position to transform blighted neighborhoods and turn them into vibrant places, creating cultural, art and innovation districts. The MRED+D taught me to think about problems from human, environmental and financial perspectives all at once.

Networking is as important as taking classes. Your professors, classmates and the Berkeley alumni network are some of the best resources one will ever have.