The Future of Opportunity Zones

Regenerative Placemaking for Resilient Communities

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Jim Lang, Shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, LLP, to talk about what many are calling “QOZ 2.0”—a reimagining of the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone program with a sharper focus on transparency, impact, and long-term community benefit. As one of the country’s foremost legal experts in real estate and economic development, Jim offered invaluable insights into how the original QOZ framework is evolving—and what that means for investors, developers, and communities alike.

This conversation left me deeply inspired. As someone who started in real estate 25 years ago, it felt like a powerful moment of alignment—connecting the dots between capital, community, and the kind of regenerative development I’ve long believed in. QOZ 2.0 holds extraordinary potential not just for equitable economic growth, but for a meaningful increase in access of ownership to every day changemakers —offering new models of participation, wealth creation, and place-based empowerment. It’s the kind of framework that could truly reshape who has a seat at the table in the future of our cities.