The 2009 Atlantic Ocean hurricane season officially ended Nov. 30, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues work on safeguarding coastal states in the Northeast from storm events that can occur now and in the future. The Corps’ Philadelphia and Baltimore Districts are using GIS to reduce storm-related problems such as flooding, beach erosion (loss of sand), destroyed homes and businesses, and loss of life.

In 2002 in Colorado Springs, Colo., managing partners Kevin Kratt (Kratt Commercial Properties) and Tom Cone (Olive Real Estate) began work on a plan to transform a blighted property into a premier retail center — University Village Colorado. The project developed as a result of the collaboration between Kratt and Cone, the city of Colorado Springs, the city of Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). The project required assembling 30 parcels, creating an Urban Renewal District, and securing funding through sources including the city of Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority and UCCS.