Cherry Tang, a master of science in real estate development student at the MIT Center for Real Estate, recently participated in an experiential learning opportunity in Panama working with Conservatorio, a development firm based in Casco Viejo. What began as a modeling exercise quickly became a deeper exploration of how development, community, and environment intersect, shaped as much by people and culture as by the work itself. The project centered on Santa Catalina, a remote surf town on Panama's Pacific coast. The development comprises approximately 140 residential units across condos, villas, and homes, along with vacant lots, four retail spaces, a surf school with a stadium, and a restaurant with a pool ' all envisioned as the town's first true center. The project is designed as an open, walkable master-planned community that integrates seamlessly with the existing town. Anchored by surfing and diving, it introduces a diverse product mix and a 600-meter linear park, positioning it as the future heart of Santa Catalina and a differentiated alternative to both local developments and traditional resort-style communities....

The dog was asleep in the corner, and I was seated at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of weak tea. My 21-year-old son sat cross-legged on the floor, messing with his guitar, telling me a funny story about a dating disaster involving one of his good friends. Sam considered me'probably knew I was full of it (even if I didn't at the moment)'then graciously accepted my answer with a nod. But his comment stayed with me. What had happened to my friendships' Were they still there, as I had claimed' What did I get from my friends, and what did I have to offer them' I sipped my tea'it was cold. Men, it turns out, have lost the knack for friendship. A 2021 survey found that 15 percent of men confessed to having no close friends at all, up from 3 percent in 1990, while fewer than half of men said they were satisfied with how many friends they had. Only one in five men reported having received any form of emotional support from a friend in the past week. In the days following my son's comment, I began thinking more and more about my friends and how long it had been since I'd really talked with any of them. I started surfing online about men and friendship'in my drift away from those close relationships outside of my family, I was far from alone. I clicked fast, and the statistics piled up. The U.S. surgeon general has declared an 'epidemic of loneliness and isolation.' Even America's favorite cuddly sex therapist, Dr. Ruth, in her later years, talked less about sex and more about loneliness....

There's a fun new way to watch YouTube: by channel surfing like a boomer with cable TV. This creative idea comes from London-based developer Steven Irby, who has just launched a web app called Channel Surfer, which presents interesting YouTube videos in an interface resembling a retro-looking TV guide. At launch, there are 40 of these custom-built 'channels' to choose from, including those focused on general topics like news, politics, sports, and lifestyle content, as well as a selection of music channels and others with a more tech focus. As you move between channels, you join the video being played mid-stream. Meanwhile, the guide informs you of the upcoming content on all the channels and what time of day it will play. You can also scroll ahead to look at programming planned for the next 24 hours. This makes watching YouTube feel a lot like watching old-school live television ' an experience that's proven popular on free streaming services like Plex, Pluto TV, Tubi, and others, which offer lineups of live channels playing TV shows and movies. YouTube itself, meanwhile, dominates TV streaming in the U.S....

A few years ago, my colleague Olga Khazan shared a radical proposition: What if we stopped firing our friends' The friendship breakup has become a feature of modern life: Online, advice abounds on 'how to aggressively confront, or even abandon, friends who disappoint us,' Olga noted. But what if another solution exists' Instead of firing your friends, psychologists told her, it helps to expand your circle, allowing more people to provide you with different types of support or camaraderie: 'Rather than resting on one pillar, healthy friendship is better imagined as crowd-surfing'many hands holding you up,' Olga writes. The magic of friendship is in its murkiness: We meet a new friend, make room for them in our lives, and sometimes come to rely on them more than we ever expected. But unlike in other relationships, communicating our needs isn't the norm in friendships'which gives our friends more opportunities to disappoint us. Today's newsletter explores what to do when your friends aren't giving you what you need....