News & Insights
Photo courtesy of: Greg Land
Mixed-use districts are quickly becoming central to conversations about long-term, sustainable revenue for teams and municipalities. In this Ask the Expert, B&D’s mixed-use district specialist Aidan Lebow shares how to think beyond the venue—and how to make these districts work over the long haul.
B&D: Tell us a bit about your background.
Aidan Lebow: I started my career doing market analysis for commercial real estate projects, primarily to support financing and capital decisions. That work gave me a strong foundation in understanding what actually drives successful development. Today, I focus on evaluating what’s market-feasible for large mixed-use districts, which are often anchored by sports venues, but not exclusively.
B&D: What lessons from that experience guide your work now?
AL: Market assessments and financial modeling are core to what I do, but they’re only part of the picture. Understanding how people work, live, and spend their time is just as critical. Those human factors often determine whether a project truly succeeds and help us identify realistic opportunities clients can capitalize on.
B&D: When you first evaluate a mixed-use district, what do you look for?
AL: I start with a high-level look at four key asset classes: housing, retail, office, and hospitality, and then I zoom out. What’s happening around the venue matters, but understanding the broader metro market is just as important.
B&D: How much does fan behavior factor in?
AL: It’s important not to chase trends or one-off revenue spikes. The real goal is steady, year-round activity. We focus on where consumer behavior is heading five or ten years from now and not what’s generating buzz today. Long-term viability comes from balanced demand, not “viral moments.”
Thank you again to Aidan for his participation is Ask the Expert. If you have a topic you’d like one of our experts to cover in a future issue, please submit it here.
