At a Crossroads: Adapting Real Estate for Increasing Climate Risk & Instability
11:30 AM - 12:20 PM | Aldrich Hall | Breakout Session
Panel Director: Nathan Lowrey, MRE ‘25
This panel will explore how the real estate sector must adapt to mounting climate challenges. With extreme weather events, rising insurance costs, and climate migration threatening property values, experts will discuss public and private strategies for resilience and mitigation. The discussion will also address real estate’s responsibility to broader sustainability goals amid regulatory uncertainty and the innovative approaches that hold promise towards achieving more efficient buildings.
Moderator and Panelists:
Moderator: Professor Nestor Davidson
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Nestor M. Davidson, currently the Albert A. Walsh Professor of Real Estate, Land Use and Property Law at Fordham Law School, will be joining the Harvard University Graduate School of Design as a Professor of Real Estate in the summer of 2025. Professor Davidson’s work explores transactional dynamics in real estate as well as regulatory frameworks for real estate markets, including legal-structural concerns in affordable housing and sustainability. Professor Davidson previously practiced commercial real estate at the global law firm Latham & Watkins LLP, and served as Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Professor John Macomber
Harvard Business School
John Macomber is a Senior Lecturer in the Finance unit at Harvard Business School, where his work centers on climate adaptation, infrastructure finance, and the future of cities. His teaching and research explore how private capital and new technologies can improve public infrastructure and urban resilience, especially in the face of sea level rise and drought. He is the author of Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity and serves as Faculty Chair of the HBS Africa Research Center. With a professional background in real estate, construction, and technology, Macomber was formerly Chairman and CEO of the George B. H. Macomber Company and remains active in real estate partnerships. He is involved with the Business and Environment and Social Enterprise Initiatives at HBS and serves on several nonprofit and corporate boards. Macomber holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School.
Seyfihan Usarer
Co-founder and COO | Algoma
Seyfihan Usarer is the Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer at Algoma, an innovative development platform that automates site feasibility studies for real estate developers. Leveraging AI-powered technology, Algoma transforms traditional, time-consuming pre-construction processes into efficient, several-day workflows through a subscription-based model. This approach not only significantly reduces time and costs for developers but also champions sustainable building practices by ensuring that environmentally friendly options are accessible and integral to the construction process. Under Seyfihan’s leadership, Algoma also participated in the first cohort of the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s (NYCEDC) Mass Timber Studio, aimed at promoting the use and benefits of mass timber as a sustainable building material.
As the COO of Algoma, Seyfihan leads business development and operations, and plays a key role in the company's fundraising efforts. Prior to founding Algoma, Seyfihan worked at McKinsey & Company, focusing on digital transformations for large conglomerates and optimizing real estate portfolios for major banks. He further sharpened his expertise in digital strategy and business monetization as a member of the TikTok Monetization Strategy Team. Seyfihan holds a law degree and an MBA from Harvard Business School, providing a solid foundation in business principles that he leverages at Algoma to drive innovation and lead the construction industry forward.
Craig Peltier
Director of Asset Management and Project Design | VHCB
Craig Peltier is Director of Asset Management and Project Design at the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB). In this role, he leads VHCB’s efforts in project design review and supports statewide energy efficiency policy development and implementation. Since taking on this role in 2006, he has spearheaded an approach to energy efficiency and design which focuses on long term portfolio sustainability and building relationships with statewide energy efficiency and development partners which maximize program impacts to the affordable housing sector. Craig received his undergraduate degree in economics with a minor in mathematics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He also holds a master’s degree in economics from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) where his research focused on addressing externalities within the constitutional order. Prior to joining VHCB, he worked in the aerospace, design build and sustainable wood products manufacturing sectors. He is also a Certified Passive House Consultant.
Cat Mccandless
Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager | City of Boston's Office of Climate Resilience
Catherine (Cat) McCandless is a Senior Climate Resilience Project Manager in the City of Boston's Office of Climate Resilience (formerly Climate Ready Boston). In this role, she leads the development of neighborhood coastal resilience plans, the implementation of coastal resilience projects and wetlands restoration projects, community engagement and education, coastal resilience grant applications, and the cross-departmental integration of climate resilience into the City's planning, capital projects, and permit review. Before joining the City of Boston, Catherine held roles at VHB, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, and the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. Originally from Durham, N.C., Catherine received her Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and Biology from Wellesley College and her Master in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.