SAM Curated: An Online Platform Offering Expertly Curated Content on Sustainability and Adaptability in the Built Environment

Start here to explore best practices in sustainable investing, asset management, development, and revitalization from carefully selected literature by subject experts

by Alexandra Faciu

Westmount, Canada

The idea behind SAM Curated is the result of my own sustainability journey. For the past few years, it has become increasingly apparent that asset management and portfolio strategies require a high degree of expertise in sustainability. As such, I have dedicated my efforts to building a comprehensive knowledge base in this area. This allows me to provide my clients and partners with expert guidance on the best value creation and protection strategies for asset and portfolio management. The volume of literature on sustainability and climate issues in the built environment has increased exponentially, as practitioners have sought to keep pace with this rapidly evolving domain. Furthermore, during a recent research project, I have found that a substantial amount of time was dedicated to collecting the necessary publications for reference, which resulted in a significant investment of time and energy.

Taking this into consideration, I discussed the concept with several seasoned professionals who are passionate about sustainable asset management and development. We all agreed that creating a platform to provide curated access to the latest publications and relevant literature at a significantly reduced cost would be a valuable proposition for real estate professionals and enthusiasts alike. Furthermore, we are all available to consult on your projects through our respective day jobs and practices. With a focus on asset management and portfolio strategies, we intend to share best practices related to sustainability, revitalization, urban renewal, and resilience, as well as policy matters.

The library will share two types of posts: 1. publications that the curators, as subject matter experts, have deemed to be significant best practice resources in each of the categories of expertise and 2. content of general interest. Each post will include a summary and a link to or the publication itself, as SAM Curated is intended to also be a database of available publications on the subject of sustainability and adaptability in the built environment.

The library has been meticulously curated to facilitate readers' navigation of the publications It is catalogued into the following categories:

• Retrofitting, Innovation, Technology

• Asset Management, Risk Mitigation, Valuation

• Underwriting, Financing, Capital Stack

• Conversions, Regeneration, Urban Planning

• Policy, Insurance, Standards

Our initial focus will be on publications from Canada, the US and the UK, but we intend to add additional resources from Europe and beyond, as we expand our network of curators, who can share best practices from other parts of the world. Equally important, we see Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as a field of expertise in its own right, which we believe will need to be covered by a curator with this specialist knowledge. We will also be seeking to add best practices in this field to our library as soon as practically possible and until this category of best practices can be added, this content will be included under Conversions, Regeneration, Urban Planning, Policy, Insurance, Standards or within the Opinions and insights tab.

Our library will mostly cover historical literature from 2022 onwards, unless we deem the content to be of particular significance. There are a few reasons for this selection. First, sustainability evolved significantly during this period. Second, most publications featured on SAM Curated will include references that researchers can find on the web if needed.

Please note that some of the publications featured may be behind a paywall on their original websites. Each post will include a summary and a direct link to the source, whether the content is freely accessible or requires payment. When the original author or publishing platform has kindly agreed to share the material with SAM Curated subscribers, the full document will be attached to the post.

Disclaimer: SAM Curated, the curators and any other guests invited to share their opinions assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site and/or email generated by this site. Please note that the information on this site is provided on an "as is" basis, with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness.