Peter Kalikow, president HJ Kalikow & Co. and MTA chairman, noted that the outcome of transportation bond act on the November ballot is the "live-or-die" moment for the proposed subway expansions on the West Side. "Investing in infrastructure is critical for New York City," said Rudin Management Co. president Bill Rudin, during the panel moderated by Real Estate Media president and CEO Jonathan Schein. "If companies don't want to be here our buildings are useless. Pound for pound we're the most efficient city not using automobiles." Rudin added that Lower Manhattan rail link connections are "really critical for the future of Downtown."

Boston Properties chairman Mort Zuckerman noted that the public schools have a "long way to go" and that the affordable housing stock needs to increase to attract younger people. "We're lucky that the industries that power the city are growth industries."

When it comes to the much talked about real estate "bubble" Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and CEO of Lazard & Co. says that "internationally there is a great concern." He also noted that the "calculus on value is multifaceted." He said real estate here is "cheap by international standards. People forget that."